Equilibrium
by Nuwanda31
Summary: Eight months later, Emily discovers she's pregnant, forcing her and Reid to make some serious decisions about their lives and careers. Meanwhile, the BAU is brought into a case involving the murders of several FBI agents, and it seems no one within the Bureau is safe, especially when they predict more than one member of the team may be next in line.
1. Monday Morning

Summary: Eight months later, Reid and Emily are about to welcome another spring. They are madly in love and are incredibly successful at keeping their relationship secret. But it can't stay private for long. When Emily finds out she's pregnant, they need to figure out how to handle it. At the same time, the BAU is brought onto a case involving the murders of several FBI agents. As the death toll gets higher, it appears no one within the Bureau is safe, especially when they predict more than one member of the team may be next in line.

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is the property of CBS, the actors, writers, and producers of the show. I have no authority over anything except original characters.

* * *

"Please," Agent Lovefield muttered, tears streaming down his face. He was known throughout the Bureau as cold and hard; no one could get an ounce of sympathy out of this man. Now here he was, crying like a baby.

"Please…" the man in the hood mocked. "Listen to you… my how the mighty have fallen."

"I don't want to die." Lovefield stated, blubbering like a pathetic weakling. "I've devoted my whole life to helping people, how can you do this?"

The only answer the raspy voice gave was "Justice," before he raised the gun to the center of the agent's forehead. Among the shadow, Lovefield thought he could see the man's mouth… he was smiling. He was actually enjoying this. He spent his whole life tracking down monsters like him, and now it was ending like this? How could this be?

The gun clicked itself, cocked and ready. "Any last words? A goodbye you want to say?"

"No," He shook his head, accepting defeat. "I don't have any family."

"Like I care about the people who might be sick enough to love you." He said, taking a step closer. The barrel of the gun pressed deeply against Lovefield's skin. All he wanted was this man to get it over with. "I mean to the lives you ruined… destroyed because of you."

Lovefield looked up, trying to meet his killer's eyes. What was he talking about? No, he wasn't perfect, but he didn't hurt innocent people. Maybe this man was mistaken, if he could just get him to see.

"I never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it." He gasped, practically in a sob.

"Truly," His raspy killer said, "though I'd say your standards for the term are much too low… everyone reaps what they sow."

He was so confused. If he was going to die, he at least had the right to know this man's reasoning, but no matter how much he begged, his killer wouldn't give it to him.

"May God have mercy on you, I doubt he will." He hissed.

For miles, the silent night was undisturbed. There was no bang or crash, no indication a man had died for sins he hadn't known he committed. The man in the hood watched as the life at last left the man's eyes, slumped dead in the armchair of his once peaceful apartment.

He headed out into the night. Cold, as the nights were as they lead into spring. He hurried down the street before anyone could see him. He had to be careful. He couldn't be risked being caught… not yet. Not when there were so many left.

At the end of the block, he stopped beneath an orange street light. He stood facing an alley, which lead to who knew where. The best escape route for him. First things first, though. Reaching into his pocket, the man in the hood extracted a folded piece of paper, creased so many times from age and use.

Opening it once again, he looked over the list of names. The ones he neatly typed ages ago. Removing his Ticonderoga pencil from his ear, he leaned the paper against the streetlamp, crossing _Bartholomew Lovefield _out with a long, steady line. A few other names on the long list had a strike through them, his business with them finished, but there were a lot more to go. So many before he could rest.

He'd finish them in time. For now, he needed to regroup and decide who would be the next to pay. Going as fast as possible without running, the man in the hood dashed down the alley, through a hole in the broken fence, and disappeared into the night. It was like he'd never been there.

* * *

Spring was right around the corner and the last of winter was starting to melt away. Trees were starting to form tiny buds of life for the coming change of weather, and bunches of purple crocuses and yellow daffodils were popping up in the earth. A time of new life was upon them.

Morning was coming earlier now. When the alarm went off that morning, the sun was already beginning to shine through the bedroom window, streaming along the floor and onto the disheveled covers of the bed. The buzzing alert sounded through the room, announcing it was time to get up. A manicured hand reached over from the bed to hit the snooze. Silence filled the room once more.

Emily never even opened her eyes as she turned off the alarm. She needed ten more minutes, hating the thought it was the start of another week. If only her vacation wasn't another three months away.

She wouldn't think about work at the moment. Right now, she had ten minutes to push the world out of her mind. Emily moved back into the bed, nestling against the warm body beside, wrapping his arms back around her protectively as he lightly stirred.

"What time is it?" Reid mumbled, his warm breath blowing on her ear.

"Seven," Emily barely murmured, snuggling as close to him as possible, hating the idea for the next few nights, she'd most likely be sleeping alone. She cringed at the very thought, forcing herself back to sleep to savor the fleeting time with him.

Reid snorted as he felt himself wake up. Feeling her firm backside press against his middle made his stomach stir with desire. Sleep was suddenly becoming a distant memory as his physical need for the woman beside him began to grow. Opening his eyes, he took in the sight of the dazzling goddess wrapped in his arms. How was it possible for someone to look this beautiful in the early morning? Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. She was all his to view and savor. With so little time, he wasn't going to waste a moment.

After a few minutes, Emily hummed as she started to wake up again. The feel of those warm lips pressing kisses to her neck and back were like the brushes of butterflies, sweeping and tickling her skin. Her eyes peeled open as he latched onto the crook of her shoulder, suckling her lovingly for a moment before gently biting down.

"Spencer," she sighed, her body waking up as his smooth hands started to caress her. In that brief moment, she forgot it was Monday morning, and that they were due at work in two hours. Nothing mattered but the man pressed beside her, waking and arousing her groggy body.

"Good morning," He sighed against her ear, pressing more kisses to her. He breathed in the scent of her hair. Fresh summer rain and baby powder, like always. His hand started sneak under her form fitting tank top, touching and feeling the soft skin underneath.

"It's getting there," She answered with a grin. Needing to feel his lips on hers, she pulled away a bit in order to roll onto her back, facing him for the first time that morning. She found his glowing hazel eyes and seductive smile, having just a moment before he leaned down and kissed her, both already losing themselves in the essence of each other.

For several long minutes, it was nothing but touches and kisses, their arousals quickly getting out of control. Nothing else mattered in the world when they were together, everything making so much more sense.

Emily sighed with delight when he moved on top of her, her legs wrapping around his pajama clad waist to pull him closer. Reid was kissing and licking down to the hem of her tank, right in the valley her soft, plump breasts created. She was just a second from pushing him away in order to remove her top when something struck into the perfect world they were creating.

The alarm went off again, reminding them they weren't they only two alive in the world. Panting, Emily looked to the clock, seeing it was 7:10. Time wasn't on their side right now. Reid reached over to smack the snooze button once again, before continuing his work.

"Spencer," She muttered as he kissed her through her top. Her body fluttered excitedly as his fingers grazed the hemline of her panties. "Baby… we've got to stop."

"No, we don't," Reid argued, moving his way back up. He was breathing just as labored as she; he adored how fast her heart beat under his lips as he kissed her chest again.

Reid was an anomaly in many ways, but when it came to his carnal desires, he was just like any man she'd ever been with before. The only difference was he really loved her, and made it a point to make it known when they were together. Still, the morning wouldn't wait for the two lovers to satisfy their hunger for each other.

He was moving back down, pushing the fabric of her shirt up. Every suckled around her navel slowly eroding her willpower. Concentrating, she made herself to speak. "Baby… as good as this feels, ah…" her eyes rolled back as she forced herself to finish, "we don't have time. We have to get to work."

"So we'll be a little late." He complained, flashing her a smile. He kept pushing her top further up, teasing her, knowing how badly her chest wanted attention.

Emily grumbled. "It's not that simple, we have to leave at separate times so we don't arrive together. How are we… oh," She paused a moment as he pecked delicate kisses to the underside of her breasts, "…how are we supposed to explain both of us being late on the same morning?"

"We'll figure it out later, our minds will be much clearer in an hour." He grinned as he reached up to kiss her perfect mouth again, an attempt to shut her up. It worked for a moment, as their tongues swirled and swam together, not even noticing if either had morning breath.

"Ah," She breathed as he brought one leg up higher on his torso while grinding into her. She wanted so badly to give into him, yet she knew it was selfish. "Seriously, we need to stop… we can't do this, we have to go…"

Reid was tired of her complaining. He knew she wanted this, but her rational side was a little too strong this morning. Taking a chance, he quickly rolled off her, sitting up beside her in bed.

"Alright," He said, feigning disappointment.

Amazed, Emily didn't move. She glanced up at him. "Just like that? You're letting me go?"

"You're right," He nodded. "Go, you get your shower first. I'll start the coffee in a minute."

Coffee, shower, heading in to work on time. The exact same thing they did every Monday morning, and then they'd spend the whole day barely able to look at each other because their love had to stay secret. It didn't sound that appealing.

Leering almost bitterly at him, Emily rose up quickly to straddle his lap. Reid smiled triumphantly, knowing she'd too far gone to walk away. Their lips met again, his hands slipping under her tank top to lift it over her head.

"I thought we were going to be late." Reid muttered as he tossed the shirt away, moving down to her bouncy breasts.

"I suddenly remembered," She said in a half moan, his lips just a few frustrating inches away from where she needed him most, "my car broke down… I'll need you to drive me in after I get it towed."

"I'm happy to oblige." He muttered, ravishing her flesh as he flipped her onto her back once again, dominate over her. "But first, there's the matter at hand."

Quickly, they sank into the harmonious rhythm they'd found many months ago, relishing every touch and caress and feel, losing themselves in each other. When the alarm went off a third time, Reid quickly ripped the cord from the wall to shut it off permanently, the device falling to the floor with a hard, shattering crash. All Emily did was giggle into his kiss. She lost more alarm clocks that way.

* * *

At twenty after nine, most of the team were already assembled. They waited in the conference room to get started, their go bags sat in waiting. Normally, Hotch would have joined them by now, but this wasn't a typical morning. This was something no one could have predicted.

The door to his office stood ajar. With the phone to his ear, Hotch was so busy trying to get through the line, he didn't notice when someone arrived, staring at him with concern for several moments before tapping the wood and stepping in.

Glancing up, Hotch was pleased to see it was Rossi. Just the man he needed to see. This concerned him, too. "Close the door," he ordered.

Rossi obeyed at once, shutting it with a soft snap. He sat down without invitation, anxiously waiting. By Hotch's body language and scowling expression, whatever was about to come was not bad news.

"Yes, I'm still here." He said, finally getting through to the other end. "Is that so? He'll be out for the rest of the day?... No, I can't call back later, I'm going on assignment, I won't be back until later in the week… alright, tell him to expect my call first thing Friday morning. Thank you."

With his temper simmering at the surface, Hotch put the receiver down hard. The click resonated in the quiet office. At last, the unit chief's eagle eyes blazed across his desk to his friend and teammate. He'd never seen Hotch so angry. Immediately, Rossi began to mentally list all the possible problems Strauss was putting on them this time.

"What's up?" Rossi asked, prepared to learn the bad news, and determine what way they could fix it.

Hotch paused. "You obviously haven't heard."

Curious, "Hadn't heard what?"

Taking a hard swallow, Hotch brought him up to speed. "Agent Lovefield was killed last night."

That was a shock. Rossi sat up a bit, staring at the younger agent in disbelief, as if wondering if Hotch was mistaken. "Bart?"

"You knew him, correct? He was a friend of yours." Hotch wanted clarified.

Rossi shrugged. "I wouldn't exactly call him a friend. The man was a real son-of-a-bitch, he's got more ex-wives than I do and his kids won't talk to him. But yeah… I knew him. How'd he die?"

"He was found this morning in his apartment. He was tied naked to a chair, a bullet wound in the back of his head." Hotch explained, so solemn. "The police are questioning his neighbors, but no one knew anything about it. They heard no screaming, no gun fire, nothing that indicated someone was in trouble. It's not a neighborhood that hears a lot of violence, if there was disturbing noise, they would have called the cops."

"How was he found?" Rossi wondered, his profiler mind already at work.

"A girl claiming to be his cleaning lady came by early this morning, though they said judging by her provocative attire… she wasn't there to clean."

Rossi gave a scoff and nodded. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like Bart. Any leads to who did it?"

"Not one," Hotch explained. "The deputy director gave me all this information this morning. It seems they want me kept informed on this investigation, just in case they decide to let us take over."

"It's one agent." Rossi pointed out. "Unusual, yeah, but it doesn't nearly fit the requirements for a BAU case."

"Exactly, that's why they're not officially ordering us to take it." He explained. "They asked me to look into it, see if there are any red flags I can report back. So I need to ask you, is there anyone you can think of that would want to kill Lovefield?"

Another light chortle, "I could name about twenty, including all five former Mrs. Lovefields. Not to mention a couple of beefy guys we put on death row. But… no one I could think that would actually kill him. Not without going after one other agent, including myself. Lovefield never worked alone."

That was one thing Hotch was afraid of. If a killer had a grudge against one agent, sure enough there were others the unsub planned to strike on his vendetta. Still, though, taking over the whole case, there was little Hotch could do. Today, their place was in Boston, where they were most needed.

"Think about it over the next few days." Hotch said, standing up. "If anything comes to mind that might stand out, let me know."

Rossi concurred. "I'll give Lenore a call, see if she knows anything."

That was interesting. "You're ex-wife? Why would she know anything?"

"Because before her last name was Rossi, it was Lovefield. And she's not his sister." He indicated, having no shame whatsoever.

"That explains why you two don't talk." Hotch said somewhat amusedly as he came out from behind his desk. He headed to the door with Rossi right behind him, heading to join the others in the conference room. Their work on the subject was done.

For now.

* * *

At almost 9:30, everyone sat impatiently as they waited for the last two of their group to arrive. JJ was irritated, tapping her pen on her notepad, glancing up at the clock every 30 seconds. The others had run out of decent conversation, trying to pass the time by drinking coffee.

"Where the hell are those two?" Morgan complained as he swayed back and forth in his swivel chair.

"Prentiss called about an hour ago, said she was having car trouble. I think she asked Reid to pick her up." Hotch explained, his fingers were swishing across the screen of his tablet, already knee deep in the new case. This was going to be a tough one. If they got back by Friday, it would be lucky.

"She called Reid?" Morgan asked, looking over at Rossi. "Why wouldn't she call you? You're a three minute walk from her house."

It was times like this a person really knew who their real friends were, and Rossi was certainly one to both of them. If only they were there to hear it. "I had some errands to run this morning, it would take me completely out of the way to go back and get her. She told me she'd try Reid."

That made sense, and the others didn't bother to question it. They didn't have to, either. In less than another minute, just as 9:31 hit, the two agents were spotted hurrying into the bull pen, quickly dropping off their stuff before heading up the conference room.

"I am so sorry we're late." Emily exclaimed as the two rushed in. "My car wouldn't start. I guess it's my own damn fault for buying Italian made."

"Hey!" Rossi cried with mock offense. "Maybe you just don't know how to drive it!"

Everyone found that comment amusing, laughing in response. "It took forty minutes for the tow truck to show up and take it to the shop. If it wasn't for Reid, I don't know what I would have done."

Reid began to explain. "It shouldn't be such a surprise, most foreign cars are considered high maintenance vehicles, needing repair and upkeep almost four times as often as domestic made."

"Nevertheless, thank you," She said with a friendly gaze. "I owe you one."

Reid shrugged, brushing the compliment off. "Forget it, Em, it was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing, you have to at least let me buy you lunch today." She urged.

"You guys can decide that later." Hotch said, closing his tablet. "I'm glad you both made it, but we've wasted a half hour this morning and we really need to get to Boston, so let's do this presentation in the air. Be at the air strip in ten minutes."

Everyone agreed, quickly gathering their things to get out of the room, needing to get their bags and supplies to get to the plane on time. Emily stepped out together, heading to the bull pen.

As they bounded down the steps, Rossi was just a few feet behind, watching the clandestine couple with interest. The two sat at their adjacent desks, checking over their things before taking off.

"So," Rossi said as he folded his arms. "You're car broke down this morning?"

Emily met his amused expression. She suspected he knew better, but she wasn't about to just come out and say it. "Yeah," She answered. "I needed a tow."

"A tow." He mumbled with a shake of his head, slowly walking away. "I'll bet you needed a tow."

She looked at him in bemused shock at his slightly crass comment. Reid, however, was confused, looking between his girlfriend's face and Rossi's retreating back. "What did he mean by that? What else is a person expected to do with a broken down vehicle?"

Unable to help her laugh, Emily slung her bag over her shoulder. She patted his cheeks with a loving smile. "You're so cute."

With that, she headed to the elevators to get to the strip. Reid was still confused, but after a second followed the others out. What did he care? She thought he was cute.

* * *

A/N: The third installment in my Reid/Emily series. I hope you guys are interested in what's going to happen, and how it started. It means so much to me that so many of you have been faithful to this series. I don't think you guys will be disappointed in this one, either! :)


	2. Voicemail

A/N: If you guys got a little confused, I accidentally uploaded the wrong document and had to change it. Sorry about the confusion. :)

* * *

It was warm in Boston that afternoon, and slightly humid. Morgan and Emily were driving through downtown, following a lead on their next case, involving the deaths of several twenty-something women. Right now, they were on their way to speaking with the man who discovered the most recent body, hoping he might have some information on her to build a profile.

Checking her voicemail, Emily let out a grumble, rolling her eyes. "Nothing good ever happens on Mondays." She groaned as she ended the call.

"I was born on a Monday." Morgan pointed out with a grin.

Emily laughed. "See, case in point."

"Thanks," He muttered, turning back to the road, smiling at her giggle over her witty remark. "Do I dare ask what brought that comment?"

"My mother's coming back to DC." She muttered, sinking down in her seat again. "Her assignment in Italy is over, so their relocating her here." Looking at her partner, she said almost too seriously. "I may need to leave the country."

"Come on, Prentiss," Morgan exclaimed. "Mothers aren't that bad."

"No, your mother isn't that bad. Your mother actually raised you." Emily pointed out. "I'm my mother's asset, the trophy she pulls out when it suits her needs."

Morgan wondered, "I thought things were okay between you and your mom. You get along alright and you usually meet for dinner once or twice when she's in town."

She shrugged. "They're okay now, but… when I was younger… the times I needed her," She hung her head a bit, letting out a sigh, "where was she? Maybe it's childish, but I really can't get over that and if she didn't want to develop a real relationship then… I guess we wouldn't be struggling to connect now."

"Fair enough," He nodded, but he wondered something. "Do you think there's any way you'd find a way to… bridge that gap?"

Emily wondered that, too. Honestly, there were a lot of scenarios she could think of, but none of them ever turned out well in her head. As far as she could determine, there was no way she could ever develop a relationship with her mother stronger than the one they had. Somehow, though, Emily felt that fault lay with her.

They arrived at their destination. An old fashioned butcher shop. Culliver's Meats; Est. 1896. The alley behind it housed their most recent victim for an entire day; hopefully she had a connection to this place, or the people inside.

Morgan and Emily parked and got out of the SUV. The sun was bright, but the shade from the sign supported them as they headed towards the entrance. Holding the door for her, Morgan waited for Emily to enter first, going in right behind her.

The tinkle from the bell above the door alerted whoever was on duty that customers had arrived. "I'll be right out, have a look around."

"Mr. Hannigan." Morgan called towards the back room, a metal door standing ajar. "Could you come out here, please? We'd like to speak with you."

"About what?" He wondered. "If it's about the beef, that's on sale until Saturday."

"Mr. Hannigan, we're with the FBI." Emily explained. "We need to ask you a few questions about the young girl found by one of your employees yesterday."

There was a tense pause, both fearing for a moment he'd skipped out another door. Finally, he called, "Come on back, watch your step."

Emily and Morgan obeyed, heading through the shop to a space open behind the counter. Cautiously, they stepped towards the door and Emily pushed it open carefully, almost afraid of what they'd find.

The sound of a clever striking down would be enough to startle anyone, even two people who dealt with butchers on a daily basis. Of course, that was a very different kind. The room was so cold and there was wall to wall hanging slabs of beef and pork, cut right off the animals, many with the bones still intact. Hanging chickens and turkeys were lined along the length of the walls. Mr. Hannigan, the butcher, was busy at a worktable, individualizing ribs from a slab of cow.

"I suppose I can't convince either of you to pick up a clever and help me?" He questioned with a hopeful glint in his eye.

Shaking his head, Morgan sneered, "Not a chance."

"Thought I'd give it a shot." He laughed as he chopped down again, cutting another rib. "My assistant called off today, he was too freaked out about that girl he found."

Morgan began questioning Hannigan. About the girl and the assistant, every detail he could dissect out of it. His questioning was as detailed as the man's carving up the beef. Emily barely noticed, barely about to talk at the moment. Something was seriously wrong here.

She could barely think in this place, not surrounded by such a foul stench. It was churning Emily's gut and making her dizzy. She steadied her breathing, slowly in and slowly out, hoping that would make a difference.

It wasn't helping. Oh, the smell in here. Morgan was beginning to sense something was wrong, checking her cautiously out of the corner of her eye.

"Excuse me," Emily interrupted Mr. Hannigan, nearly startling him. "Is there something wrong with that meat?"

"It's prime cut," Hannigan stated, a little offended. "We only sell the best here at Culliver's."

She wasn't buying it. "I'm sorry," She choked out, shaking her head. "I just… I think there's something rotting in here."

"All this meat is fresh; we got this delivery this morning. There's nothing rotten in here." He urged. He looked at Morgan, confused and a little offended.

He didn't care for the witness at all. Morgan's concern was for her. "Are you alright, do you want to… step out a minute?"

"No, I'm… I'm fine." She mumbled, leaning closer to him. She whispered, "You don't smell that?"

"It smells fine to me." He shrugged. Now he was getting confused.

"Look, all I know is I never saw that girl before." Hannigan said, slamming the clever down another time. Watching, Emily felt a dry heave hit her, watching the meat split from the carcass. "We have a regular customer base around her. We only get a lot of strangers close to the holidays. With Memorial Day coming up, there are a lot of barbecues going on. If she came into the shop, which I doubt, I didn't wait on her. I have a pretty good memory, I'd remember her order, especially a pretty girl like her."

Emily gagged again, covering her mouth with her hand. Still listening, Morgan rested a hand on her back, watching her with caution. She was starting to look pale, her eyes closing as she tried to ignore where she was.

"Why do you doubt her coming in?" Morgan wondered.

"She was so young, girls like that aren't making regular meals, even for holidays. They make desserts and side dishes, not hams and roast beef." He shook his head. The man knew his client base.

That was it, Emily couldn't take it anymore. Practically shoving Morgan out of the way, she hurried out of the freezing room to the main shop. Within a few minutes, the two men heard the distinct sounds of gagging and vomiting.

"That's not going to be good for business." Hannigan shook his head.

"I apologize," Morgan said, amazed. "I wasn't aware she was ill, she was fine a few minutes ago. And I don't smell anything rotten."

"That's because there isn't." He insisted. He went to chop at the meat again, stopping. "Look, if you don't have any more questions, I'd rather you both leave."

Morgan had nothing else to say. He pulled out his card, setting it on the work table. "Thank you for your time, if you think of anything else, please give us a call."

Hannigan nodded, taking it and slipping it in his work pocket. Morgan stepped out, still hearing Emily barf the last contents in the garbage can behind the counter. He squatted down beside her for support, patting her back.

"Ugh," She muttered, sitting up as she wiped her mouth, her throat so sore and scratchy now.

"Feel better now?" Morgan asked, helping her stand again.

"I don't know," She cried. "It smelled like a dead body in there, I wonder if we should search it for another victim."

He was completely blown away by this. "No offense, Prentiss, but are you nuts? That place smelled fine, I barely got a whiff of the meat in there. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"Why would I lie about a smell?" She asked. Morgan opened the door for her again, guiding her gently onto the street. She didn't feel much like being sick anymore, but now that this nausea had come in, it wasn't leaving her too quickly.

He shook his head. "I know you wouldn't, that's what's weird." Morgan walked her all the way to the passenger side, opening the door to help the sick woman into the car. Before he closed it, he met her eyes with question. "Are you sure it wasn't just… the sight of those dismembered, hanging bodies that made you sick?"

"I saw a lot worse stuff during the presentation on the plane." She mumbled, buckling up. Her ashen face had yet to regain color. "I don't know what it was, but it passed. It's over, let's not worry about it."

If that was her choice, he'd respect it. Though he couldn't help but suspect – greatly suspect – that she was wrong. He closed her door and went to get in the driver's seat, ready to drive them back. Emily rested her head against the window, closing her eyes, letting herself breathe.

* * *

Hotch couldn't get Agent Lovefield out of his mind. He knew he should have been focusing on the case, but with little to do until the others got back, there wasn't much to focus on.

Reid was studying the mess of notes on the white board. He had no problem shutting out the rest of the world at the moment. Lucky him. For now, Hotch was running over the evidence in his mind, doing his best effort to determine who could have killed the older man.

Lovefield didn't work in the field anymore. He was primarily based at Headquarters, more of a figure head than an actual agent. More than likely, he would have retired within the next few years. Hotch had been to a few functions he had attended, heard him give a few seminars at the academy, but he'd never personally met him. There was no way to tell what kind of victim he was, therefore no way to determine what type of unsub would target him. That in itself was useless to consider. Lovefield's death was an isolated event, there was no recent deaths that even compared to the MO.

Even without evidence, though, Hotch couldn't stop thinking about. It seemed too excessive to be an isolated event. He knew he shouldn't, but he wondered if perhaps he should look into any other recent deaths… just to see if there were any similarities.

"Anything new?" Morgan asked as he and Emily finally returned early that afternoon.

Reid snapped out of his world for a moment, turning to acknowledge his friends. "Rossi's on his way back from the morgue. He says there was some kind of blue foreign substance on the knees of each of the victims."

"Like she was kneeling in something." Emily suspected, pulling out her phone. She'd felt it vibrate in her pocket on the way back from the butcher shop, but had been too afraid to answer it. She feared by opening her eyes in the moving car, she'd wind up vomiting all over again. The BAU had enough budget problems, they didn't need to spend extra money to get one of the SUV's detailed.

"Exactly," Reid replied. Emily only half listened as he began to explain his deduction on possible substances and where the girls could have been during their deaths. Looking to her phone, Emily let out an annoyed, guttural grumble.

"What's wrong?" Hotch asked, curious.

Shaking her head, "My mother… left me another voicemail. Continue."

"I think I have it narrowed down to ten possible locations." Reid informed.

"That seems pretty vague kid." Morgan said with skepticism.

"Seeing as each of the girls was dropped at various parts of the city, none of which are located within less of a five mile radius as the others, there's no way to narrow it down further without knowing the exact material." He finished as he clicked the top of his marker closed.

"The morgue is testing it for us, we should know by tomorrow morning." Hotch explained.

"The problem is, we could have another victim by them." Morgan pointed out.

Emily hung up the call, putting her phone back into her pocket. She didn't say a word to what the message said, not wanting to think about it now. She'd have to deal with it herself later, no point in letting it bother her now, while she was working.

Hotch agreed. "We do have enough to form a profile, we're going to iron out the details over lunch so it's ready for the police this afternoon."

"JJ's picking up Chinese, we ordered both your usuals." Reid explained.

"See, that's why we keep you around, kid." Morgan laughed as he took a seat.

He meant it joke, obviously, but Reid didn't find it funny. He didn't say anything, though, looking away as he let the comment pass him. Emily hated seeing the others tease him now, wishing they were alone so she could wrap her arms around him, and tell him exactly why she kept him around.

Less than a minute passed before JJ arrived. "Oh good, you guys are back." She said, setting the box of take out on the table. Immediately, Reid and Morgan began clearing away the papers and folders, giving them more room to eat. "Where's Rossi?"

"He'll be here in a minute." Hotch said as he started pulling out the containers, each one scribbled on to indicate what food was inside. He squinted his eyes to make out the writing. "I think this is Mushu pork."

"If it is, that's mine." Morgan said, reaching out his hand. "The pancakes there, too?"

"Yeah," Hotch said, reaching in for another package.

JJ was settling in her seat, opening each individual package of chop sticks. "Don't worry Reid, there's plastic forks in there for you."

"Thanks," Reid muttered, looking up from his search through the box, "but I can use chop sticks."

Emily tried to look as surprised as the others

"Can you?" Hotch questioned, not quite believing him.

Reid looked up, giving a nod, as if this shouldn't be that much of a shock. "I've been practicing."

It was difficult to hide the smile on Emily's face, having spent the last few months struggling to teach him. His hands were amazing, she'd seen him perform incredible magic tricks in the blink of eye and play the piano so beautiful. Those same fingers that sent shivers through her body at the slightest touch couldn't handle a pair of chopsticks for the longest time. Until now.

"Alright, way to go, kid." Morgan said as JJ grabbed another of the many sets the restaurant tossed into the food. Practice makes perfect."

As he opened his carton, the delicious smell of the pork began to waft around the room. It mixed with JJ's sesame chicken and the containers of opened sweet and sour sauce for the egg rolls. Everything was hot and appetizing… at least it should have been.

When the whiff of food struck Emily's nose, the nausea that had all but dispersed came flooding back to her. It was just like being back in the butcher shop, and she had to brace herself to keep from vomiting.

Her discomfort had not gone unnoticed. JJ spotted her across the table, her eyes closed and her body rigid; her hand gripped the edge of the wood, her knuckles turned white from the effort.

"Emily, are you alright?" JJ questioned.

At that, the men instantly looked up to see. Reid felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, seeing Emily in such discomfort, looking like she was in some great pain.

"Emily?" Reid asked in fear.

Morgan recognized it at once. "Are you feeling sick again?"

All she could manage was a nod. Quickly, Emily climbed out of her chair, pushing it away forcefully in order to hurry out of the room. She disappeared out the door and around the corner, hurrying to the restroom.

Turning back around, Morgan explained to the others. "She's got the flu or something. The same thing happened at the butcher shop."

"Poor thing, I didn't even know she was sick." JJ mentioned, greatly concerned.

Reid hadn't either, and that bothered him more. He set his food before an empty chair, clearing his throat a moment. "I'll be back, guys, I, uh… I have some marker on my hands I need to wash off."

No one said anything as he stepped away, but Hotch watched his retreat. His expression was passive, almost cold, trying to hide this new rush of worry. All morning he'd had a gnawing sensation over the Lovefield murder… now he had the same one for a different reason. For eight months now, he knew what his two agents were keeping from him. He could just be jumping to conclusions, but after seeing this, he had a feeling their secret would soon be revealed.

* * *

Reid waited in the corridor by the bathroom silently. He could hear Emily throwing up inside and wanted desperately to go in and comfort her. A male agent going into a public woman's restroom, however, wasn't a wise idea, and was forced to wait impatiently outside.

After twenty minutes, the door finally swung open. Emily, pale and exhausted, emerged, breathing heavily. She gasped as she saw Reid standing there, watching her with caution.

"Are you alright?" He asked, taking a step closer.

She may have nodded, but he knew it wasn't true. Stepping forward, Reid wrapped his arms around her, letting her collapse into his embrace. Her head fell to his shoulder and he kissed her on top of her raven hair.

"I didn't know you weren't feeling well." Reid whispered, one of those strong hands caressing her back.

"I didn't, either," She answered, cut short as she was caught off guard by a dry heave.

"How about I drive you to the hotel?" Reid asked. "That way you can get some rest."

It was unwise for the two to remain this close in such a public setting. As much as she hated to, Emily came to her senses and pulled out of his arms, taking a few steps back, as if this was nothing more than one friend concerned about another. With a shake of her head, she replied, "I'm fine. I'm sure it's just stress… my mother left me some messages. She called met his morning to tell me she was being relocated here and she just left me another, saying she's coming home on Friday, she'd like to meet me for dinner. Every time I have to see her, my stomach gets so twisted knotted, but it's nothing… really, I'm alright."

"I could go with you," Reid suggested with a smile, taking a step closer to her. "It might take some of the pressure off of you."

Emily couldn't describe what that meant to her. "Thank you, Spencer. I'd love you to come… but right now, I think it's best this remains secret from her, too."

"Are you ashamed of me?" He teased.

She couldn't help but laugh, making her feel a bit better. "Of course not. I love you, and I'd love the whole world to know that… that's why I don't want her to know. She'll make me feel guilty about my happiness in some way, and… I don't want her ruining this, not when she and I barely see each other as it is."

Reid agreed. They both knew this relationship couldn't stay secret forever. At some point, they would have to come out; tell their and shift the dynamics of the team. There was no way they'd be able to keep working together, they could very well ruin their careers because of this, so there was no point in bringing it out until they were ready. That time was a long way away.

Another dry heave and Emily backed up again. She covered her mouth for a moment, before she knew she was okay. "I think I'll skip lunch, not sure I can take the smell right now, so tell the others I'll see them in a little bit."

"Okay," Reid closed the distance between them, not even bothering to check if someone was watching. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Feel better… I'll try to sneak into your room tonight."

"Good," Emily smiled, a hand lightly stroking down the planes of his chest. "I sleep so much better when you're there."

After a loving tousle to his hair, Emily let him pull away, watching as he headed back down the corridor. She swayed for a moment, her hand landing on the wall for support as she weighed the situation, wondering if this wave of nausea would soon pass, not wanting to stray too far from the restroom.

It was much too strong and growing fast. Emily turned and headed back to the Ladies' Room, her hand landing on the swinging door. She paused for a moment, though, considering what she'd just said.

She'd told Reid it was because of her mother, and as she said it, she believed it. Now Emily wasn't so sure, because she only threw up after smelling the meat of the butcher shop, and then again when she got a whiff of the Chinese food… her mother coming home was the last thought on her mind.

It was certainly odd, but she shrugged it off, pushing the thought from her mind. She was just jumping to conclusions, that was all. This was nothing.


	3. Intuition

Despite Emily's hopes their unsub would elude them for days on end, the team made it back to Quantico by Thursday evening. She was not looking forward to tomorrow night. Her mother left her yet another message, this time telling her the exact time and place to meet for dinner. 8 o'clock at Renee's in downtown DC. Emily hated that place, but there was no point in telling her so. If she disagreed, the whole thing would turn into an argument. It was better just to go along.

For now, she was trying not to think about it too much. It was close to spring, the nights steadily staying lighter longer. It was mildly cool out, the perfect evening to sit outside and watch the world go by. Emily loved this weather, but wasn't taking advantage of it. Ever since the butcher shop, she couldn't shake the feeling of dizziness and nausea, wondering if perhaps it hadn't been the food at all, but just the start of an aggressive flu that sent her head first into the nearest appropriate receptacle at various times during the day, especially when she first got up. Now, she felt like she'd taken a full dose of cold medicine, feeling so groggy and sluggish, she was crashed on the couch. She couldn't move faster than a snail, even if the building were on fire.

She gasped in surprise as Sergio jumped on her. Again. He'd been awfully affectionate tonight, despite Emily continuously pushing him off her, wanting to be alone. Once again, he curled into a ball on her stomach and began to purr loudly.

"What is it with you?" Emily shook her head, letting out a light chortle, giving up on shoving him away. Instead, she reached down and scratched behind his ear. The hum of the vibration she felt grew stronger. "You certainly want attention tonight, don't you?"

The click of the lock sounded and a second later, the front door opened. Reid had finally returned, weighed down with several canvas shopping bags. "Sorry I took so long," he said as he closed the door. "I was trying to tell the cashier at NaturaFoods a more efficient way to bag the groceries. I don't think she appreciated my suggestions, though."

"You're probably not the first person who's given her similar advice on the subject." Emily said, still staring down at her cat. "Though I'm sure you were much more polite about it."

Reid started to unpack the items, placing them neatly in the appropriate spots, the kitchen much more organized now that he'd come into the picture. "Thanks for going shopping for me, Sweetheart, I appreciate it. I just didn't have the energy."

"It's no problem," Reid called, as if all he'd done was refill her coffee. "I got everything on your list, plus a few extra items I think you should be incorporating into your diet. When you're fighting off the flu, it's much more efficient to battle the infection with natural nutrients, not swallowing pills and medicines that can do more harm than good to your internal systems."

"True, but orange juice and green tea won't knock me out quite like Nyquil can." She mentioned. "Although, how I'm feeling right now, I don't need a dose of it to sleep through the night. I'm exhausted."

"That's your body's natural defenses." Reid said, glancing over. As he did, he spotted Emily staring down at her sleek black cat, curled up on her lap like a fluffy throw pillow. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know," Emily shook her head. "He keeps lying on my stomach and purring. I almost think he knows what's wrong with me." Looking over at Reid, she made a cringing face. "That's irrational, huh?"

"Not entirely," Reid replied, starting to walk over to her. "It's possible he senses you're currently in distress. Animals can have amazing intuition. The Ancient Egyptians believed that cats had mystical qualities. The Cult of the Cat, for instance, used to believe cats represented protection, fertility, motherhood, and the more positive aspects of the sun. Today, felinologists explain how cats are more instinctive and can sense when their masters are in danger, are upset or stressed, and even ill, particularly when the two hold a strong bond."

"Hmm," She muttered, stroking down the glossy raven fur of the handsome animal. That was a lot of information, most of which Emily wasn't sure she took stock in. He was animal, what could he know about anything? Gently she lifted the cat off her, setting him on the floor. "I think I'll head upstairs to change into some pajamas and then we can order some dinner."

"No need," Reid shook his head. "I stopped and got some soup and sandwiches from that deli you really like. I'll reheat it and bring it up to you, if you'd like."

She stopped, staring at him like she never expected him to be so nice to her. Sometimes, it still amazed her how much he loved Emily, offering to do such generous things without the slightest request or thought of reward.

Rushing forward, she pulled Reid into her arms. "I really love you, you know that?"

"Yes, I do… but I never tire of hearing it." He said, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close to him. "You're sick. Anything you need, I'm here to get it."

"Be careful what you promise," Emily said as she met his eyes with a smile. "I might just stay sick to keep getting this special treatment."

He chuckled almost nervously as she ran a hand through his long hair, hanging down beside his ears. "That's okay with me," with that, he leaned to give her kiss.

Emily pulled out of the way before their lips could meet. "Spencer, no, I don't want you getting sick."

Giving her a playful glare, he moved in again. "I'll risk it."

They met in a long kiss and Emily sighed with content, feeling so safe here. The place that no evil forces of the outside world could penetrate. It was just them, and as far as they knew, it always would be.

Their kiss ended almost reluctantly and Emily smiled. "So, I'm going to change… how about you bring up dinner and we'll spend the rest of the night in bed."

"It's a date." He said as he pulled away. "Are you sure you're stomach isn't too queasy?"

"You know, I thought I was," she said as she headed towards the stairs, "but after you mentioned soup and sandwiches, I realized I'm starving."

That was a good sign. Maybe she was getting better. Emily gave him one more smile as she disappeared up to the second floor, leaving Reid alone in the kitchen where he returned to his tasks.

Down the hall, Emily made it to her master bedroom. It wasn't really _her _bedroom anymore. Over the last eight months, the space belonged to both her and Spencer. They weren't exactly living together. They couldn't, both needing to keep separate addresses so as not to raise suspicion. Besides, the rest of the team could easily see through their lies if they didn't hold separate residences. For the most part, though, they spent most of their time in town here. They slept here, shared the same spaces, her possessions mingled with his. Their whole lives seemed morphed into the space of this apartment. Emily used to like her space. It was precious to her and she fought hard to keep it to herself. Now the thought of not having Reid in it felt like being outside the earth's atmosphere. She couldn't breathe. Hopefully, Emily would never have to be in that lonely world again.

She went to her dresser to pull out some pajamas. Cotton pants and a long sleeve shirt, perfect for the evening. She was feeling a bit chilly, thinking about turning up the heat. Probably one of the last times she would until late fall. After pulling off her slacks, she lifted her blouse over her head, the effort making her dizzy for a moment.

Thinking she might be sick, Emily hurried to the bathroom. Just as she lifted the toilet lid, and stared down in the gleaming porcelain bowl of water, the sensation felt like it was drifting away, her body slowly sinking into a relative state of normal. She'd have to be more careful from now on.

What was wrong with her? She couldn't even think of anyone around her who'd been sick lately. Morgan had the flu back in January, but he couldn't be the culprit… Hotch had said something about Jack being sick, but that was the measles, she had that decades ago. It seemed too odd to be coming down with this kind of flu… it was unlike any flu she'd ever known.

Suddenly, as she was passing her reflection in the mirror, Emily froze in her tracks. It hit her like someone had smacked her in the back of the head with a sack of bricks. She had had this flu before… a long time ago. And it wasn't the flu at all.

"No," Emily turned to her reflection, taking in the sight of her wearing her mauve bra and navy blue panties. "No… I… I can't be…"

_The knock sounded on the bathroom door again as Emily picked her head out of the toilet. "Emily," a new voice called from the other side. For the last fifteen minutes, she'd called to the maid on the other side between heaves, assuring her she was fine. It seemed she didn't believe her._

"_Emily," Her mother called more sternly, knocking again. "Francesca says you're throwing up, what's wrong?"_

"_Nothing," She called back. She tried to sound tough, but it came out timid and shaky._

"_It doesn't sound like nothing, do you have the flu?" She wondered._

_Dear God, she wished it was the flu. For the last few days, Emily had been hoping this was just her imagination. That this was just some virus that would pass through her… but as the days went by, her fears were growing from suspicions into certainties. However desperately she didn't want it to be true, she couldn't live in denial any longer._

"_Yeah," she finally called back. There was no way she could tell her the truth. "I think it's the flu."_

"_Well, then you're staying home today. Get right back into bed, Francesca will take care of you." Her mother called. Emily wanted to be annoyed by that, once again Elizabeth Prentiss passed her parenting duties off to the help, but right now, staring down the precipice of what she'd done, Emily couldn't be angry. She'd never felt so ashamed._

"Oh, God," Emily murmured in a stuttering breath, remembering that day. Her body suddenly felt weak and she needed to sit, right on the edge of her tub. Her fingers gripped at the ceramic, her knuckles turning a ghostly shade of white. Could this really be happening?

Right now she had no proof, but the evidence was right in front of her. The symptoms fit, the exact same from nearly 30 years ago.

* * *

Not everyone was taking advantage of the evening off. It wasn't uncommon that Hotch would burn the midnight oil, but today he wasn't stationed at his desk, slaving over reports and requested profiles. He'd made the drive to the home of the late Agent Lovefield.

He needed to see the crime scene for himself. Nothing about this was making sense in his mind. The whole idea of some former confrontation coming for revenge seemed too far-fetched. There was something more to this than just revenge, he could feel it.

The crime scene unit had finished a few days ago, taking any useable evidence with them. Still, there was plenty left to tell Hotch a story. The real story, about who this man was and how he lived, giving a better clue as to who might be hunting him.

He stood before the wooden chair, the very spot where the body was found. He studying it intently, not even hearing someone opening the door not far away, sneaking up behind him.

"This is a little obsessive don't you think?" Rossi said. If he startled the younger man, Hotch didn't show it. Slowly he turned around, meeting the eyes of his fellow teammate. "This is a little more than hunting red flags."

"What are you doing here?" He wondered.

"Great minds think alike, I guess." Rossi explained, stepping forward. "I guess I just wanted to see the place for myself. Lovefield wasn't a friend, but he was someone I knew, someone I shared a history with. I wanted to see this place for myself. You?"

Hotch shook his head. It was too much to explain. Rossi didn't need his reasoning, he knew his friend well enough to understand he needed to be here, even if he couldn't explain why. "So? Learn anything?"

"Splatter on the back wall indicates he was shot in the head." Hotch explained. "It's large and a relatively random pattern, makes sense at this distance. My guess would be there's burn patterns on the bullet wound."

"The unsub was probably standing right where we are." Rossi agreed. He took a step closer to the chair. "That wall is the evidence the ultimate cause of death was a gunshot, so where'd the rest of this blood come from?"

"My guess is he was beaten." Hotch theorized. "It's not enough to be cause of death, but if the unsub struck Lovefield over and over from all sides, it definitely could have accumulated like this."

Rossi looked around. "It is a nice neighborhood," he agreed, remembering their earlier conversation last Monday. "It's not possible a gun could go off without someone overhearing. He most likely used a silencer, which means he planned ahead."

"Not necessarily," Hotch disagreed. "He could have used anything to silence the gun. A soda bottle, a thick book or stuffed pillow, any number of things."

Rossi began to move around the chair, studying further. "He strapped Lovefield to the chair with belts, letting him torture the man at his leisure. They belts are thin, much too small for a man as thick around the middle as the agent."

"They look fairly new," Hotch said, squatting down to get a better look without touching. "The unsub brought them… he was prepared."

"He knew exactly what he was going to do." Rossi said, standing behind the chair. "He knew Lovefield. He knew he'd be home, alone, giving him plenty of time. He brought all the supplies he'd need, not bothering to remove them before he left… so either he wasn't worried about getting caught… or he ensured he wouldn't be. Wore gloves or wiped off his prints."

"He's smart, and he's careful." Rossi mentioned. Hotch got back on his feet, meeting his eyes. "Everything about this says it was thoroughly planned. If it was just about revenge, it would have been quick. One quick bullet in the head and then disappear into the night. If it were a robbery or invasion, the whole house would be a mess, and they wouldn't take time tying him up… so what was the unsub after?"

"Torture takes days to be satisfying." Hotch said, backing away from the chair. "He's not a sadist… but all of this was for a purpose."

Rossi agreed. "So if he wasn't fueling his own desires, he had to be doing it for something else… or someone."

"You're thinking he has a partner?" Rossi wondered.

"Or just someone he's close to." Hotch added. "I wonder if we should look into Lovefield's past, talk to any former partners… see if there were unsubs he helped captured that could have disgruntled family members."

That would undoubtedly be a long list. The majority of unsubs the FBI captured had family members devoted to remaining by their loved ones, no matter how many horrific things they'd done. Instead, Rossi returned to his thought from a few days ago, about speaking to his former wife. If anyone would know who from Lovefield's past might have a vengeance against him, it was best to speak to someone who he was once very close to. That was a very short list indeed.


	4. Secrets

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long guys. Work has been uber crazy lately, and they keep putting me on the closing shift, so I've had little time to sleep, let alone write. But, I've got three days off, so I'm hoping to get a few chapters outlined and written for all my stories. :)

* * *

Emily was able to keep her suspicions a secret for the time being. Everything was very uncertain right now, and until she knew for sure, she didn't want Spencer to know, or anyone else for that matter. Right now, this was something she had to deal with alone.

When it finally became five to twelve, she figured there wouldn't be a better time. Especially if she wanted to be discreet about this. Signing her name to the end of the last report, Emily closed the folder and got to her feet. Firstly, she had to drop these off to JJ so it could be filed with the rest. Even standing was becoming a chore, the sudden change in height nearly causing her to buckle. Her hand braced on her desk to try and steady her churning stomach. Frankly, her lunch break seemed the best time to do this. She wasn't remotely hungry.

Once she was stable again, she gathered herself, picked up the folders and tried to hurry to JJ's office, trying not to look like she was hurrying. A few junior agents passed her as she walked down the hall, none of them paying her any mind, none of them knowing what kind of turmoil was going through her mind.

The door to JJ's office stood open. Emily gave a light knock before stepping in, grabbing the blonde's attention at once. "Hey," she said with a smile, glancing up for her work a moment. "Good, I was just coming to see if you were done with those. I'm being hounded to get those into the system."

"Sorry, I took so long," Emily muttered. Everything around her was blurry and dreamlike, making her feel very weak and sleepy. Hopefully, she could hide how she was feeling long enough to get out of here.

Unfortunately, she couldn't just rush out, not without drawing attention to herself. Her hand gripped the back of the chair, her knuckles turning white as she forced herself to stay put and listen to her friend.

"I can't tell you how happy I am it's Friday." JJ smiled as she set Emily's folders on top of another pile; the rest of the teams, waiting to put stored in the archives. "Garcia and I were thinking we should have a girl's night tonight. That new Mexican place has half priced Margaritas on weekend evenings, what do you say?"

Even if she did feel well enough for a fun fiesta, it was out of the question. "I wish I could, but I'm meeting my mother for dinner tonight."

"Oh, too bad," JJ was gathering up everything she was working on, getting ready to take a much needed break. "How about tomorrow?"

"Oh, uh…" Emily began. She wasn't so sure how to answer that, if she'd even be permitted to have Margaritas in 24 hours' time. The effort of thinking so hard was making her dizzy, she needed to think of an excuse, and fast.

"I have a date." She said quickly, barely hearing the words before they came out.

JJ was stunned. She hadn't even heard of the prospect of a possibly date, and he friend came out of the blue with one. Her face broke into the widest smile. "With who?"

"Just… a guy. He's really great. Sweet…" She closed her eyes to brace herself, begging her body to hold on just a little longer. The rest room wasn't far away; she'd be out of here soon. Leaning against the desk, she closed her eyes a minute. "I really care about him."

"Oh my God," She exclaimed, stepping closer. "Who is he? How long have you been seeing him?"

"Uh," her plan was backfiring fast. Now JJ was too interested to ever let her go. "Just a guy… we've been together for… over six months now."

JJ was positively flabbergasted. Emily was not a person who dated a guy longer than a season, let alone over half a year. "Okay, why haven't Garcia and I heard about this mystery man?"

Oh, there were so many reasons. If she only knew the truth. "Well… I guess I'm a little embarrassed. He's… a little younger than me."

She looked both delighted and impressed by that. "Wow… hey, I have an idea. How about I grab Garcia and we'll go out to lunch and you can tell us every tiny detail."

"Jay, I… I don't know." Emily's eyes darted towards the door, desperate for an excuse to get away.

"Oh, come on, you know you're dying to brag about him to us!" She cried. "Six months is much too long to keep something like that secret from your best friends."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you," and that was the truth. From the night she and Reid confessed their feelings in the rain, all she wanted was to tell the people around her that she was in love. "It's just… I have a lot to deal with right now; I'm… getting ready for tonight… I just don't have time today. I promise, I will tell you everything very soon."

There was something very suspicious there. A blind could see it. JJ opened was in the process of opening her mouth to ask what was wrong. If she had, no doubt within a moment of two, she'd put the pieces together and come to the same theory as Emily, but the poor girl was saved as another knock sounded on the open door.

"Hey," Reid said, coming to her rescue. There were so few times Emily was this happy to see him, but he saved her once again.

"What's up, Spence?" JJ wondered, curious, pushing her burning questions to the side for the time being.

"Rossi asked if he could speak to us, do you have time right now?" He wondered.

"Yeah," she replied. "Ask us about what?"

He gave a shrug, "He wouldn't tell me, but we're the only two he asked for. It must be something he wants to keep under the radar."

Emily was just as curious about that as they were, which was a good thing, helping her hide her worries and secrets better. JJ glanced at Emily. "We'll talk about this later. Promise?"

"I promise." Emily said with a smile. She had no idea how she was going to get herself out of this mess without giving the secret away, but it didn't matter right now. She had a strong feeling in a few hours, she was going to need someone to talk to.

Reid, who was very susceptible to his girlfriend's feelings, immediately sensed something was bothering Emily. This wasn't just the lingering symptoms of a terrible flu. Something was definitely troubling… something she hadn't voiced to him about.

However, right now, with a third party present, he couldn't just ask her what was wrong. Instead, he gave her a comforting smile as JJ stepped out the door into the hall. Emily returned it and the two began to walk away.

She watched them a moment as they headed down the corridor. Without JJ noticing, Reid's eyes flashed back to find Emily's, his gaze filled with concern and longing. She wanted to tell him everything was fine. But even if she had words, she couldn't convince him of that.

Luck was on her side, though. Just as they turned the corner, she found she could hold her stomach no longer. Rushing back into the office, she found JJ's trash can, which her eyes had been darting back and forth to since she walked into. Grabbing it, Emily held it up to her face as she vomited among the crumpled papers and empty coffee cups inside.

* * *

The door to Rossi's office stood wide open in wait. Though it was close to lunchtime, he had no desire to abandon his work and get a bite to eat. He wasn't hungry. He had quite a lot on his mind. For one thing, he was thinking of his fallen colleague. He remembered the last conversation they had together. It had not gone well, considering there was no easy way to tell someone you were involved with his estranged wife.

More importantly, he was thinking about Lenore. Their time together had been brief; their entire relationship hadn't even lasted two years. He'd been going through a lot them. Rossi hadn't been himself… but that wasn't something a man easily got over.

Tonight, he was meeting Lenore to discuss what happened. They didn't see each other often, but the two still remained on good terms, only crossing paths when needs be. He wasn't looking forward to this. After all, what good could come from meeting your ex-wife to talk about the mysterious death of her previous husband?

A knock on the door startled him, bringing him back to the present. Looking up from the file he'd been holding, Rossi spotted Reid had returned, with JJ in tow this time. "Oh, good," he said, swiveling around in his chair and getting to his feet. "Come in, I need to talk with you."

"What's going on?" JJ wondered, her eyes flashing at Reid, who was just as curious and perplexed as she.

He replied, not entirely sincere. "Nothing serious. I just need both your specific expertise for a project I'm working on."

The term trigger something for both of them. Rossi never used the expression "project" to describe something. It was a very vague description, and it sounded more like he was doing it on his own than having been assigned it. It was a clue there was more to this than he was about to reveal.

First, he picked up a pile of folders from the edge of his desk. Most of them were brown, though Reid could see nine or ten were coded in red, indicating they were serious and/or classified. All of them looked no less than ten years old, if not more. Their teammate brought the folders over and offered them to Reid, his expression completely neutral, as if he were suggestion this to his friend if he wished to pass the time.

"I need you to read over these, Reid." He stated plainly.

Before he took the stack, Reid asked, "What are these?"

"Old cases from the archives." Rossi clarified. "Some of them are mine, dating back to… 1979… no, 1978."

The BAU had barely been a conception in the FBI, let alone a part of the prestigious institution. Taking the papers in his hand, Reid weighed the pile. The average person would need at least a week to comb through all these, and even longer to retain information. This was a typical Friday night to Spencer Reid, and he'd still be in bed before midnight.

Still, his incredible mind, always thriving for knowledge, couldn't be silenced. "I don't understand, these are your cases… what do you need me to review them for?"

He hadn't meant it sound offensive, but Rossi's demeanor suddenly changed. He attempted to take the folders back. "If it's too much for you to handle, I'll just do it myself-"

"It's not that!" Reid exclaimed, clutching the files protectively. "I'm just curious what you need all this for."

He didn't answer right away. For a brief moment, it almost seemed like he was about to reveal the whole truth, but instead, he said simply, "just research. Take the weekend, read them over and make some notes on each. I want to see if anything can be connected together. Even the smallest of details. If there are connections, no one has a better chance of finding them than you."

He had to admit, that made him feel pretty important. So often, the team made him feel like a burden, it was nice to know he was actually needed.

JJ stepped forward, asking anxiously "What do you need from me?"

"You have a few connections with FBI's Internal Affairs," Rossi noted. "It's nice to have friends in high places, especially at times like this. I'd like you to talk to them, find out what specific agents they're investigating lately."

"Anyone in particular?" She wondered. It would seem odd enough, calling to question about their current status of their jobs. Without mentioning a name would make it look awfully suspicious.

If Rossi sensed that, he ignored it. "It's better you don't mention a name. Don't push the subject, just ask casually and see what you can find out for me."

Reid couldn't contain himself, the words escaping his mouth before he even knew what he was speaking. "What about the others, Dave? Don't you want their input on this?"

"Reid's right," JJ agreed. "We all work better as a group.

"If you're looking for something, even if it's not entirely specific, you need a collective conscious to get the best results." Reid added.

Rossi wouldn't be wavered. "Hotch knows what I'm doing, and it's not that important anyway. I don't want to bring the others into this because, frankly, I don't want to get everyone in trouble for working on a case we haven't been assigned. I just need you to do these favors for me, and I will repay you for it."

Reid looked at JJ, exclaiming, "So it is a case?"

Cutting them off, Rossi indicated the door, leading them out. "I have a lot of work to do and I have a meeting tonight, so if you don't mind."

He quickly ushered them out. The door closed just a bit too hard behind them as soon as they were clear of the threshold. JJ and Reid turned to each other, not really sure what to make of this.

"What was all that about?" Reid wondered.

JJ shook her head. A lot of strange stuff was happening around here lately. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was being kept in the dark, and she knew most, if not all of the team would agree with her.

* * *

The restroom was thankfully empty as Emily rushed inside a half hour later. She chose the one on the second floor, determining there was less likely a chance JJ, Garcia, or anyone she knew would find her in there. This wouldn't take long, but she didn't want to be disturbed. The brown paper bag crinkled in her purse as she clutched it a bit too tightly. The handicap stall was empty, and quickly Emily rushed in there, immediately latching the door.

Everything was echoing ten times as loud, it seemed, sounding around her as she unzipped her purse, pulling out the little bag. An indention formed on the paper from the box inside. Her hands were shaking as she removed it, reading the title of the product. It was still hard to believe this was happening.

She may have been through this once before, but this was the first time she'd taken a test like this. They were so inefficient in the 80s. More guesswork than anything. Emily would have just gone to a doctor, but that would have been too risky. She couldn't chance her mother finding out. This, however, simpler. Much simpler… and the answer would be there in five minutes, plain as day.

Taking a deep breath, Emily prepared everything to take the test, taking a quick read to see which sign meant what, which was incredibly straight forward. A plus sign meant yes while a minus sign meant no. Easy enough.

A funny jolt went through her stomach as she read that. She wasn't sure, but Emily almost believed she was hopeful about this. Of course, she wasn't so sure what she was exactly hopeful for. A yes or a no.

It seemed she wouldn't know it until she got this over with. Closing her eyes, Emily braced herself. "Okay," she whispered. She could do this. In five minutes, she'd know. Setting the test on the sink, she got herself ready.

It took less than a full minute for the test to be complete. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the results. She set the stick on the edge of the sink while she washed her hands, pulling out some paper towels to dry them. Clean and refreshed. All she could do now was wait. She was even too nervous to pace. Picking the stick off the porcelain surface, she went over to the wall opposite the toilet. Her last concern right now was the sanitation conditions of a bathroom floor, sliding down the tiled wall to sit down, her legs arched in front of her, supporting her hands as she held up the test. There, she just waited, her mind buzzing the whole time.

"_I've never seen another set of more confusing instructions." Matthew said as he read the pamphlet over for the fourth time. "It says you're supposed to put five drops of the liquid into the vile and wait for the color to turn… I think."_

"_I'm guessing they assume when a woman takes this, she's already been through a year of chemistry." Emily mumbled bitterly as she snatched the instructions. She hated taking this out on him, but he was the only friend she could confide in. She was so scared right now and her fear was manifesting as anger. "I can't believe this."_

"_It's going to be okay," Matthew smiled as he brushed her arm, not bothered in the least that she had snapped at him._

_Her bright brown eyes shining with impending tears shot up to meet his green ones. "How is it going to be okay? If this test is positive, my whole life is over."_

"_It's not over." Matthew assured, giving her a confident smile. "We'll figure out what to do… right now, let's just focus on this. Now, hand me the vile. My hands are a bit steadier than yours, I'll put the drops in."_

"_No, I'll do it." Emily shook her head. "No offense Matthew, you are my friend and all, I'm just not comfortable having you handle a tube of my pee, thanks."_

_Matthew couldn't help but laugh and was pleased to see Emily gave a weak smile. What did they have if not their sense of humor?_

_She picked up the eye dropper and examined the tube of marigold liquid. This was so disgusting, why couldn't they come out with a more effective way to do this? Of course, ten years ago, they didn't even have home tests. Who knew what they would come up with in the future?_

"_One… two… three… four… five…" Emily counted slowly as each dark blue drop went into the urine. It began to streak through the liquid, the striations slowly changing from a deep blue to a purple… and then an obvious pink._

"_What does pink mean?" She questioned, her lip trembling._

_An obvious choke sounded in Matthew's voice as he answered. "Positive."_

_He had enough sense to quickly take the vile out of her hand as she burst into tears. It landed in the sink, going down the drain and out of sight. Matthew quickly pulled Emily into his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder, hoping his mother wouldn't find them in here. His devout Catholic mother finding him alone in the bathroom with a girl and an opened pregnancy test box. That would take a lot of explaining._

_Emily clung to him, her tears unbridled as they soaked into his shirt. This couldn't be happening. Her whole life was over, nothing about it would ever be the same again._

It felt like a lifetime ago. This time, Emily didn't have her best friend by her side. She would have liked some support, but her life was much different than thirty years ago. For some reason, this time, she felt it be better to do this alone.

Close to the end of five minutes, Emily could see the results begin to fade in. She gasped, staring at with a pounding heart, wondering if it was just wishful thinking that made her see what she was seeing. Within thirty seconds, it was too obvious to ignore. A bright pink positive sign was laid before her. There was no denying it now. Emily was pregnant.

Her eyes welled up and she burst into tears again, but a much different sensation had filled her this time. She wasn't sobbing with remorse and agony, she was giggling uncontrollably with joy, the brightest, warmest smile she could ever remember having claimed her face. She and Reid, the man she loved more than life itself, had made a baby. They were going to be a family. Life certainly didn't feel like it was over. Emily had never felt so happy. Her life wasn't ending; in a way, she felt like it was just beginning.


	5. The Second Victim

The elevators chimed on the sixth floor, the doors sliding open to allow Emily out. She was feeling a slew of emotions right now and the last thing she needed was to be forced to spend the next few hours with a group of people she'd love to declare her wonderful news to, and yet couldn't say a word.

Even if the others did know what was going on, she couldn't do that to Reid. As the father, he deserved to know first. He had the right to have privacy, a chance to understand and accept the truth without being turned into a sideshow for the others. Emily couldn't help but be afraid how would take this. Despite the fact all evidence showed he was fully committed to her, that he wanted to spend his life with her, they hadn't ever talked about the children. They'd never even brought up the subject of children. She wasn't even sure if he'd want some of his own.

But one thing stuck out in her mind. She'd seen him with Henry a number of times. It wasn't until that night at the festival did she truly see how much he loved him. His eyes would light up when he saw that little boy. Reid adored his godson. Wouldn't he be twice as happy with his own child?

All she could do was hope. Emily didn't often have faith in things, always preparing herself for the worst, but she wouldn't let herself think that way this time. Everything was going to be okay.

She hadn't expected to run into Reid so soon. He caught her by surprise, coming back from Morgan's office. He smiled with delight as he spotted her. "Hey, where have you been? Have you eaten yet? I wanted to see if you wanted to come to lunch with me and Morgan."

Emily didn't answer at first. She'd been startled by his sudden call, staring at him like she'd never seen anyone like this man before. She felt like that many years ago, after their first kiss… when she truly realized just how handsome he was.

When she didn't respond after nearly a minute, he was instantly worried. Seeing her face, it was obvious something had happened to her. What, he couldn't tell. Stepping closer, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Emily nodded, a sparkle in her eye he'd seen many times before, yet never within the walls of the Bureau. Without a word, she grabbed his hand and led him down the hall, out of sight of the normal traffic. Around the corner to where the restrooms were located.

It wasn't the wisest place, but Emily just needed a moment with him. Alone now, she wrapped one arm around his waist while grasping the back of his head, pulling him into a hot and heavy kiss. Reid gasped in surprise against her lips, his instincts taking control as he kissed her back. His mind became an instant fog, not even realizing they shouldn't be taking such liberties in a place like this.

The threat of getting caught was enough for him not to lose his mind, even when her warm body practically melted against his. Warm and soft, her curves fusing around his body like she was trying to absorb him. The way she could dominate a man was astonishing. It didn't make sense to him sometimes. She had this incredible power in just her kiss; she could have any man she wanted, yet she chose to possess him. He didn't really think he was worth that. He may not know much about the rules of socializing, but he knew better than to question that.

He was running low on oxygen and tried to pull away, but Emily wouldn't have it. He had barely a second to catch his breath before she pulled him back to her, her fingers burying inside his long hair, tousling it lovingly as her opposite arm held him tight to her.

At last, she reprieved him and their lips slowly parted. Reid stumbled slightly as she pulled away, meeting him with a smile.

He didn't really know what to say. With a dazed smile, he panted, "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Not just yet," She grinned, wrapping him around the waist to keep him from getting away from her. Any second now they could caught, but it was the last thing on her mind.

"So what brought this on?" He wondered. As pleasant a surprise this was, it was out of the ordinary for both of them. With the exception of sneaking into each other's rooms while away on cases, they never took the chance to be romantic on the job. Emily was up to something.

She was quiet for a long time, not really sure what to say. She didn't want to tell him now. She was bursting to get the news out, to share this joy with somebody, but again she wasn't sure how he'd react. Happy or not, they needed time to discuss this, and now wasn't neither the time nor the place.

Still, for just a moment, all she wanted was to be happy with him. They were going to have a baby. She'd been dreaming about this for nearly two years, often wondering if it were just wishful thinking. It was real now. She wanted to savor it for however brief a time.

"Nothing, really," Emily shook her head, smiling rather convincingly, even before the resident genius who could read her like a book. "Sometimes I can't resist you. You're just so sexy, Spencer Reid, you make me want to rip that sweater vest right off you."

"Maybe tonight," He replied, trying to sound seductive, though his cheeks burned a bright shade of magenta. "It is Friday; we'll have the whole weekend."

That certainly put her mind into perspective. Emily's smile faded, a dark cloud moving over the bright day when her life changed forever.

"Not the whole weekend. Remember, I'm meeting my mother tonight." She grumbled and then let out a sigh.

Reid apparently had forgotten, too. He was disappointed, but accepted it in stride. "Well, you won't be too late. I'll wait up for you; come to my place after?"

She nodded again, putting on a brave face. Emily had no idea how she was supposed to get through dinner with this on her mind, but she'd have to manage. Hopefully, her mother wouldn't be suspicious as to why she wasn't drinking.

"We'd better get back before someone finds us." Emily insisted, slowly and reluctantly pulling away. She pecked his lips one more time before he was out of reach, giggling lightly as Reid blushed again. In an instant, it was over, their usually pretense shining through.

They stepped back into the main hallway, walking side by side with a considerable amount of personal space between them. Were anyone to see them, the odds the two were involved in a discreet romance would seem outrageous. "I'm going for a quick bite to eat with Morgan, are you coming with us?"

Emily almost hadn't heard him, for she had had a sudden idea. She'd been considering another option and, while it might not seem very fair, something had to be done before she went crazy. Emily couldn't keep this inside her much longer.

"Uh, no," Emily lied, "I have a lot of work left to do, but I'll see you when I get back."

"Are you still nauseas?" He wondered.

It caught her off guard. "What, no! Why… why would you… ask that?"

"Because you've been sick all week." Reid stated plainly, assuming it had been obvious. "If you're feeling better, you should eat something. Let me bring you back a sandwich or a salad."

He was insisting, looking at her with such loving concern. He'd always looked out for her, even from the very beginning. And she supposed she shouldn't skip a meal… she was eating for two now.

"Yeah, a sandwich sounds good." She agreed.

"Turkey BLT with light mayo and no pickles." Reid recited, knowing her usual lunchtime choices. The turkey BLT was her favorite.

While that was her usual order, something triggered in Emily's head. She normally hated them, but today they sounded so good.

"Pickles this time." Emily corrected. "A lot of them."

Odd, definitely odd. He stared at her in question for a moment, as if she'd forgotten her typical tastes, about how she'd stated so blatantly to the others how much she hated pickles, or anything swimming in brine. But thankfully, he didn't question it. "Pickles it is, lots. I'll see you in a bit, then."

He went to give her a kiss, but caught himself in time. Even though there was no one watching them – or at least appeared so – they couldn't risk it. They'd taken enough of a chance today. Reid walked to the elevator, his next destination the parking garage.

"Hey," Emily called, turning around. Reid had just pressed the Down button when he turned back as well. "Uh… Rossi's not going with you, is he?"

"No, he said he's not hungry." Reid answered.

"Good," she said, hiding her smile. "I need to talk to him."

"Good luck," Reid warned. "He's not really himself today. He asked some strange favors from both me and JJ, I think something's bothering him."

Emily couldn't think of what, but she was glad for the warning. "Thanks… I'll see you later and… Spencer…"

"Yeah?" He wondered, curious.

She checked around her, making sure there was no one within earshot. "I love you."

She'd never said that to him here before. With another embarrassed grin, he replied. "I love you."

With that, she hurried through the glass doors, heading through the bull pen and over to the catwalk. Reid watched her a moment, until the elevator doors slid open to the reveal the empty car.

Something was definitely up with her, but he'd find out in time. If he knew anything, he knew not to push Emily until the time was right. Still, whatever he was suspecting as the doors closed him inside the lift, the truth never even sparked in his mind.

* * *

Hotch listened to the rings on the other end, waiting for the call to be answered. When he left this morning, he had hoped, even suspected, that this was just a fluke, that he'd waste only a few hours. A coincidence that someone with less experience would overthink. Now, however, as he saw it with his own eyes, even he couldn't deny how familiar this was.

His eyes landed on the poor girl, who he'd just seen yesterday. Laughing with a friend at the elevator with a muffin and a cup of coffee. She was good girl, and a talented agent. Lively, ambitious, courageous, and had so much more energy than he could remember having at that age. She had gotten close to Hotch over the last year. He wasn't fooled, he knew she was trying to find a way into the BAU. He had to admit, if there were an opening, she'd be his first choice. Or at least, she would have been.

"Rossi," the other side finally answered.

"Hey, it's Hotch," was his somber response. "I've looked over the crime scene."

"And?" Rossi wondered, waiting anxiously.

He didn't want to admit this, but seeing this… Lovefield's body had been removed before he say the apartment, but he imagined it would be almost as hard to see as this. Lovefield was a man he met once or twice. Winslow, however, he knew enough to consider her a friend. She'd suffered a fate he'd wish on no one but Foyet.

His gaze turned from the body, unable to look at it for a long period of time. "The medical examiner suspects she was murdered between midnight and dawn. If she hadn't had that meeting with Strauss this morning, her death may have gone unnoticed for a couple of days. She lives alone, her family's located out West, she only sees them at the end of the year."

Rossi nodded, forgetting Hotch couldn't see it. "The unsub must have known he'd have such an abundance of time to get the job done. Do we suspect it was done by the same man?"

"There's not enough evidence to determine that." Hotch shook his head, hating that he had to go by so much protocol. "Winslow was killed in the same window of time as Lovefield. He was bound to a chair, she was tied to a headboard and he undid her restraints before he took his leave."

That could be a sign of remorse. Rossi wondered, "Was she tortured?"

Hotch slowly answered, "Judging by the mess and blood splatter, she put up a hell of a fight before he got her into the bed. She was beaten there, and also raped repeatedly before he slit her throat."

A despondent pause sounded on the other end. Hotch knew his friend was just as perturbed by this news as he was. "Different cause of death, and if his primary concern was rape, he never would have targeted a man. We can barely connect the two victims, can we?"

It was too much. Hotch couldn't stay in this room anymore. Side stepping two of the crime team members working on the splash of blood on the white bedroom door, he made it back to the hall. It was much easier to breathe out here, the smell of blood so much fainter here. "We do have some strong, solid evidence. Two agents killed within a week of each other in the safety of their homes while not working on a case, bound and tortured, killed between 12 am and dawn. And there's something else."

"What?" Rossi pressed.

"The restraints… he used brand new belts. They're made for a man so obviously, they didn't belong to Winslow. There's no evidence a man has been in here in months." He explained.

That was enough to convince them. Was it enough to consider it a BAU case, though? Both men were thinking it and needed no confirmation they were on the same train of thought.

"You've known Debra Winslow for a while, correct?" Rossi asked.

"Almost a year," Hotch replied, heading to the living room. It was a spacious place, with a lot of entertainment and hobbies neatly place around, but it was obvious the occupant didn't spend much time here. A typical agent; always living for the job. "She was working in the Detroit field office not too long ago. I gave a basic lesson on profiling to the agents, she was very interested. I suspect that was the main reason she transferred to Quantico." He paused a moment, considering, "I wonder if she had any connection with Lovefield."

"Considering his interests, unless she wore a mini skirt and charged by the hour, I doubt he even knew who she was." He responded. "If the deaths are connected, odds are it was nothing they were involved in."

Rossi's mind was going a mile a minute. He was trying to make sense of all this. It was so much easier when the victims were strangers. It was much easier to work when they detached themselves from the sorrow, something that took himself years to accomplish affectively. Now it was almost like they didn't exist at all while they were working, only to haunt them later.

A knock on the door startled him. He was grateful for the interruption. "I got to go, find out anything else you can and report it to Strauss. There's still no word if we have permission to take over."

Hotch wasn't particularly interested in taking over this case. It would be hard on them. He knew for a fact Garcia had become fairly good friends with Agent Winslow, so much so, she'd dragged her along on one or two girl's nights. But the directors would certainly want to keep this within the Bureau. Truly, the BAU was the best to handle this.

"I will," Hotch answered. "I've been trying to contact her partner, but so far he hasn't answered. I should be back before the end of the day."

They said their goodbyes. Rossi hung up just as the visitor knocked again. He had a few hopes who it might be. "Come in," he called anxiously, standing up.

It did not go unnoticed how disappointed he was as Emily stepped in. "Hey," she said urgently. "Are you busy?"

Technically, no, he wasn't busy. Any other case, he'd happily sacrifice a few moments to talk to her. Right now, he seemed determined to do anything but focus now, especially on how he was going to handle tonight, his meeting Lenore still planned in the bar of Van Buren Hotel. He hated that place, the prices were outrageous for such mediocre liquor, but he it had been her choice. He'd just go with it.

"A little," he answered, pulling out a folder that was hidden beneath the disheveled pile. He should have given this one to Reid. "What do you need?"

"Nothing, exactly," Emily answered. She stepped in and closed the door, wanting complete privacy. Her heart had yet to stop pounding. The sound flooded in her ears, rattling through her body. "I just… I need to talk to you about something. It'll just be a moment."

Rossi sighed. He hated to send her away, but it wasn't a priority right now. "No offense, Emily, but I'm a little distracted, so unless this is some life or death situation-"

"I'm pregnant." Emily announced. She needed him and she was not taking 'no' for an answer.

He stood corrected. In an instant, Rossi forgot everything, as if Lovefield's and Winslow's murders had never even happened. His jaw dropped slowly as he stared at the younger girl in shock, part of him wondering if she was joking just to get his attention.

No. He knew her, and there wasn't an insincere twitch about her expression. Her face was filled with surprise and fear and, at least he hoped so, joy. Stunned, the old man slowly rose to his feet, not sure how she was responding to this.

"Oh my God," He exclaimed, flabbergasted. A voice in his head suddenly screamed as to why he was just hearing about this now. "How long have you known?"

"About… fifteen minutes." Emily said, glancing at her watch. "I managed to step out before and… well, I took a test."

For the rest of his life, Rossi would never forget what she'd confided in him many years ago. He hadn't told a soul and he never would, not even on threat of death. The fact that he worried about her reaction to this wasn't unprecedented. Coming around his desk slowly, he approached her with caution; meeting her eyes with an expression that he hoped conveyed his support for her. Whatever she wanted to do, he was there for her.

"Well, that's… some news." He responded.

"Tell me about it." Emily nodded, frightened. He wasn't reacting as favorably as she had hoped. Was she wrong to be so ecstatic about this?

At that, Rossi went right for the kill. "Are we happy about this or are you exercising every woman's legal right to choose?"

It was sweet of him to be so concerned, and she understood why, but it was thankfully not necessary. Her cheeks warmed and tingled as she gave a wide smile. That was enough of an answer for him.

Rossi was instantly relieved and matched her grin. "Oh, Emily, that's great!" He exclaimed, pulling her into a hug, which she returned whole heartedly. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Me, too!" She sighed, her voice shaking a bit. Her eyes filled with joyful tears again, barely able to keep her usually so well harnessed emotions inside. The whole world had turned upside down. What a difference 30 years could make. The future had never seemed so bright this time.

He pulled away and guided her into one of the chairs set before his desk. Taking the one beside her, he asked the next truth he was burning to find. "Does Reid know?"

Emily was grateful to sit down, suddenly realizing her legs felt like jelly. Her expression changed, telling him the answer before she shook her head. "No… I didn't want to tell him until I was certain. Now that I do know, I'm trying to figure out the right way. I don't know how he's going to react and I don't want to just spring it on him."

She had a good point. Even he couldn't predict how Reid would respond to becoming a father. Announcing the news in the middle of the BAU where their romance was still unknown wasn't a good idea. "So when are you going to tell him?"

"I haven't decided. I don't want to wait too long, but I do want it to be really special. Maybe tomorrow night." Emily had a sudden idea. "I could cook a romantic dinner and put on something really alluring and… gently break the news to him."

Watching his expression fall filled her with so much doubt, she almost didn't want to tell the father of her child at all. Rossi hesitated a long time before he said with a tentative appearance. "I'm not sure that's the best approach."

"Why do you say that?" She inquired.

"We all know Reid, Emily." Rossi explained. "You better than anyone. You know with matters like this… you need to be direct with him. Planning a romantic evening, while it would seem nice and thoughtful and celebratory for the average person… to Reid, it seems like you're trying to manipulate him. He hates that more than anything… you remember what happened when he had amnesia and found out we were lying to him. We nearly lost him. This, while such a blessing, is a serious matter. I think you need to remain serious and neutral when you tell him."

"So," Emily uttered, "I should just… sit him down and… just let it out? No tricks, no gimmicks."

He nodded, "The sooner, the better I think."

She had to agree. Emily didn't like the idea of putting it off, anyway. How could she sleep beside him, knowing she was keeping this secret? "Alright, I'll do it. Tonight, after dinner with my mom, I will sit him down and tell him … I just hope everything works out."

"It will all be fine in the end, you'll see." He smiled. "It's best to tell him as soon as possible, and I say that for both your sakes. Having a baby is so much more stressful than you can imagine; you're not going to have much time before you have to start planning and preparing. You should get to enjoy this worry free and blissful time while it lasts."

"I know there's a lot to deal with," Emily shook her head, letting out an exhausted sigh. "Spencer and I haven't even made plans about the future, let alone starting a family. We need to make plans about where we're going to live and how we're going to balance work. I can't even begin to figure out how we're going to tell the team."

"What's most important is that you stay in good health." Rossi assured. "You need to get to a doctor as soon as possible, and make sure it's a good one. I'd also suggest you talk to a lawyer about updating your will as soon as you can. That's not something a lot of first time parents think about, it's never too soon to get the logistics down on paper. You never know what's going to happen."

Such profound advice, yet she'd never expect something like that to come from him. It was much too odd for this to be common knowledge. After a hesitant moment, she asked, "What made you think of that?"

What Rossi were to say next, she never knew. The phone rang unexpectedly, startling the expectant mother. Rossi turned to it with almost a horrified expression, like he'd been waiting all morning for bad news. Jumping up, he hurried over to answer it. "Rossi… Hotch, what's going on?"

Emily got up to take her leave, but Rossi held up a hand. She stopped in her tracks, staring back at him in worry, unsure what this was about.

The men didn't speak very long, but the disgusted look on his face told Emily even the smallest amount of news could be terrible, and it overshadowed hers completely.

"Alright… I'll see what I can do." He said. "We'll see you soon."

Carefully, he returned the receiver to its place, his hands bracing on the top of his chaotic desk.

"What is it?" Emily wondered, standing up fully.

He was about to tell her, that much she knew. Rossi always confided in her. Sometimes she suspected he had more faith in her than anyone else on the team. It was something she could never explain and she, in turn, found it very easy to be vulnerable with him. Now, however, he closed his mouth again and took a hard swallow.

He was about to tell her, but not after looking in her bright brown eyes. The afterglow of her joyous news still shined in them. She was so happy right now, and had so much on her mind. He could at least give her a few more hours in that world.

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Uh… I need to talk to JJ. She is here, correct?"

"I'm… not sure." Emily muttered, watching as he hurried to the door, almost as if he wasn't exactly interested in her answer. He rushed out, leaving her alone. Nauseated – and not entirely because of the pregnancy – she reclaimed her seat for a moment. Perhaps he had been trying to spare her, but whatever Hotch said on the phone, it had to be devastating. And now, it was all she could think about.


	6. Crazy

Emily hadn't seen Rossi since he hurried out of the office. In fact, she hadn't seen anyone from the team. There was nothing to distract her from her thoughts, all swarming together in her head, trying to gain dominance over her. One minute, she was thinking about Reid and the baby, the next she was worried about her friend, soon followed by the anxiety of having to see her mother tonight. A constant battle, and it was making her nauseas… or was that the pregnancy?

She sighed as she walked back into the bull pen, returning for the third time that hour. She had another reason for visiting the Ladies' besides an upset stomach, having the sensation she'd drank three Big Gulps in only twenty minutes. Not to mention her mind and body felt so groggy, like she'd taken a full dose of cold medicine. Who knew a baby half the size of an acorn could wreck such havoc on her body?

Deciding she could use a cup of tea, she headed to the break room. The unit was mostly quiet. Odd for this time of day. Morgan and Reid would be back soon, with her sandwich that she would have to pretend to eat since at the moment, she didn't think she couldn't keep anything down. Hotch had been gone all day, which was odd considering after finishing a case, he would settle behind his desk until the wee hours of the morning until all the paperwork was filed, and then get ready for the next one. Something was definitely going on. Like the winds were changing, preparing for a coming storm.

The cupboards held a limited spice selection and ginger was not one of them. There was cinnamon, however, and that seemed better than nothing. Monday morning, she'd bring her own ginger supply in. She was going to need all the help she could get over the next few months until the morning sickness died down. How long did that take? 20 weeks? 21?

Stirring her hot beverage, she shook her head. It suddenly occurred to her how little she knew about pregnancy. Her knowledge of child care wasn't much more extensive. It suddenly bothered her how unprepared she was. The initial joy of this was wearing off. As wonderful as this was, having a baby was huge. Her whole life was about to change, and Reid's. Forever. How was she to know if she was truly prepared for this? If she was making the right decision?

"I know, I'm sorry," JJ said as she rushed in. Confused, Emily turned around, seeing the younger woman walk in. Her phone was pressed to her ear, looking harassed and bothered. Worry was shining in her eyes. It seemed Emily wasn't the only one with personal problems.

The conversation seemed paused in the time it took JJ to open the fridge and grab a water. "You did take his temperature, right?... Okay, I'm just checking!... Will, I'm his mother, I'm always worried about him." She paused again, taking a deep breath as she listened. "I know… I'll try to get home as early as I can, but Rossi ask me to do some favors for him and I can't get away… okay. Give him the drops from last time. Tell him I love him and I'll be home as soon as I can…"

They said their goodbyes and slowly, the blonde woman hung up. Emily didn't mean to ease drop, but it was impossible to ignore. Leaning against the counter, she absentmindedly stirred her cinnamon tea, allowing the steam to waft up to her. The smell, thankfully, wasn't making her anymore sick. She might be able to keep this down.

"Everything okay?" She asked carefully.

JJ sighed. "No. Henry's got another ear infection. I should have known when he kept rubbing his ear this morning at breakfast, but I foolishly went to work anyway. Now it'll be midnight by the time I get home, no doubt."

"I'm sorry," Emily said with sympathy. "Anything I can do?"

She shook her head. "That depends. Either you can take over my research with Internal Affairs or you can spend the next week staying up every night trying to force drops into a screaming toddler's ear canal." She sighed again. "The joys of motherhood I guess."

Emily laughed a bit, mostly from nerves. "Yeah… it seems like quite an adventure."

She unscrewed the seal of her bottle, adding, "One that can never be equaled. "

Perhaps now wasn't the best time. Emily didn't want to tell another soul until Reid knew, but perhaps discussing it, even in a hypothetical manner, might ease some of her anxiety. It might even strengthen her confidence.

"JJ…" She said slowly, turning a bit in order to face her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," JJ replied, curious. "What's up?"

"I know you love Henry and Will, I don't doubt that, but… when it comes to motherhood. Do you…" She hesitated a split second before she forced it out. "Do you like it?"

She wasn't offended. Nor stunned or bothered by that. However, she did look at Emily very significantly, sensing more than just genuine curiosity. "Do I like it?" She asked, wanting to clarify.

"Yeah… I mean…" She breathed slowly. "Are you happy with this kind of life, especially since it came upon you so suddenly?"

"Well…" JJ began, taking a moment to think, wanting to phrase her words carefully. "I admit, it's a struggle. It has been from the moment I started throwing up all day long to… well, to now, trying to force drops in a screaming toddler's ear. It has not gotten easier and I suspect it never will. I never stop worrying about him. I always doubt myself, wondering if I'm doing what's right for him, if I'm giving him the best of me."

She paused again, and Emily feared that was it. Silently, she prayed there was more, that there was a 'but' waiting to emerge.

Thankfully, there was. "But…" and with that, an incredible glow lit up her face. A smile claimed her and her eyes amazingly shined, "It is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. Ever since that little boy first met mine, with those big eyes that seemed to plead that he needed me… I never felt like I was worth anything until he came along. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world."

Emily wasn't sure what she'd been hoping to hear, but JJ's confession greatly comforted her. Going into this would be difficult, but nothing in life worth having was easy.

"Good to know," Emily said, taking her mug to head back into the bull pen.

She was stopped suddenly as JJ intercepted her. "Hey, wait a minute… what brought this on?"

The hesitation said a lot more than words ever could. She gave an anxious laugh and shrugged. "Nothing."

Whether JJ figured it out then or had a notion, Emily never knew. She still looked confused, but the gears were definitely turning in her head. They were interrupted, however, before a syllable could be uttered.

"Am I interrupting girl time?" Morgan asked as he stepped in.

It brought an end to their conversation, and Emily was indeed grateful. "When did you guys get back?"

"Just now, and we met Hotch in the lobby." He explained. His attitude suddenly became serious. "He wants everyone in the conference room in the next five minutes."

JJ caught Emily's eye for a second finding her just as bothered. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I don't know, but the last time I saw him this upset…" Morgan trailed off, glancing into the bull pen for a moment. The girls followed suit, their eyes landing on Reid, who was carefully removing his bag to set it in his chair. Immediately, they understood what he meant. Hotch, like the rest of them, had been terribly distraught when Reid had amnesia. If he was like that now, it felt like nothing short of the apocalypse was coming.

In turn, they each glanced up to the conference room. Through the opened blinds, they could see their stone faced unit chief speaking to Rossi, already having joined him. Perhaps he'd been expecting him; planned this ahead of time as it were. "I guess we'd better get up there." Emily mentioned.

JJ nodded, stepping past her, heading towards the glass doors. "I'd better grab Garcia, we'll meet you guys up there."

Morgan and Emily made their own path through the bull pen, meeting up with Reid. The two had no chance to say a real hello; the baby didn't even cross Emily's mind at the moment, too consumed with theories and fears as to what this could be. Up the steps and across the catwalk, they made it to the round table room. Morgan knocked on the door to make their presence known.

"About time," Hotch said, as if he'd been waiting ages. "Sit down, we need to get started."

"There's a case?" Reid wondered as he took a chair. Morgan and Emily sat down, putting the boy genius between them.

"Unofficially," Rossi replied. "Where's JJ?"

"Grabbing Garcia." Morgan said, and with that leaned on the wooden table, folding his hands. "You did want all of us, right?"

Hotch didn't answer, but it was obvious he didn't take kindly to Morgan's tone. So what if it was a Friday and they should be starting their weekend in a few hours. This took precedence and it was best to get on it before the whole thing spiraled out of control.

After a time that took much too long in Hotch's mind, JJ and Garcia finally arrived. The sunny girl seemed just as disturbed as everyone else at being dragged in here at a moment's notice without even the slightest hint it was to happen. "Dare I ask what's going on?" She questioned, looking to the others. Their expressions gave her no clue.

"Sit down," Hotch ordered. That was that. Without argument or comment, she and JJ both claimed seats. Rossi waited in silence, letting his chief take control of this presentation.

"As some of you may have heard, Agent Bartholomew Lovefield was killed earlier this week." Hotch began.

"Yeah, I heard something about that." Morgan spoke up, nodding. Surely this had nothing to do with them. Perhaps, as the two men had thought before leaving for Boston, they would just be ask to give any information they might know, which was none.

Hotch met his eyes with a half glare, as if warning him not to interrupt again. Morgan was not pleased at being treated this way, feeling like some rookie who shot his mouth off too much.

Hotch went on. "He was found in his home, bound to a chair and tortured before being shot in the head." He continued. "This morning, Agent Debra Winslow was found in her apartment, murdered. She was tied to her bed and tortured before having her throat slit."

There was a squeaky gasp at the sound of Winslow's name. The others turned to see Garcia covering her mouth and shocked, never expecting to hear her friend was so suddenly gone. JJ patted her back comfortingly, catching Emily's eye. They'd met her a few times and learning this now filled them with guilt. Like they should have made so much more of an effort to know her, maybe then they would have learned she was in danger before it was too late.

Reid could always be trusted to remain analytical. "Is there evidence that connects these two murders together?"

"There's not enough to insist it's a coincidence, that's for sure." Rossi announced.

"Not only that," Hotch continued, "but when we went to track down Agent Winslow's partner, we discovered he skipped town almost two days ago. When we went to his apartment, we discovered his roommate was beaten within an inch of his life. He's still unconscious, he can't tell us anything. We're hoping if he wakes up, he might know where the agent's gone."

The others looked at each other. All this did seem odd, and they'd worked enough cases to see when things were just coincidence. Something about this didn't seem right.

"We haven't been given permission to investigate yet." Rossi informed. He sat so casually, it was like they were swapping stories of past cases. None of them could see how much this was truly bothering him. Even if they did, none of them could possibly guess why.

"So then why are we here?" Emily wondered.

"We believe soon enough, they'll ask us to step in and take over." Hotch explained. "However, that could take a few days and, if Winslow's and Lovefield's deaths are any indication, this unsub could strike again within that time. Winslow's partner left for a reason; a reason that could explain these deaths. We need to start looking into this now."

"Nothing says other agents can't study working cases on their own time." Rossi explained, leaning forward. "Frowned upon, yes, but no specific rule. We can't force you guys to stay, but… Hotch is going to be working on it tonight, possibly tomorrow morning. If we had a few extra eyes and a few more mouths voicing theories… it might help move this case along. When we do take over, we'll have more information and can work faster."

Morgan let out a scoff, "You want us to stay to an unknown hour on a Friday night?"

"Basically," Rossi answered, his expression unyielding.

Reid had never been one to turn his friends down, not when they needed him. His weekends were filled with a lot more activity these days, but as far as they knew, he had an evening alone with his latest reads. Since Emily would be with her mother, that would most likely be the plan tonight.

"I'm willing to help." Reid announced, looking around at the others. Who else was in?

"Me, too," Garcia cried. "I can't believe someone would do that to Deb! She was the sweetest person, and tough as 9 inch nails when it came to the job! Anyone who took her down was heartless and evil!"

That was two. There was a long pause, waiting for someone else to join the bandwagon. With a hard sigh, Morgan announced, "Fine, I'll stay, but someone else is paying for dinner."

"I'll cover you, Sweet Pea." Garcia teased a bit, her usually self shining through her grief.

Sadly, JJ stated, "I guess I'd better stay, too."

"No, JJ, I'll stay!" Emily cried. She knew her friend was tormented enough, wanting to run out of here at the first sign of a sniffle from her little boy. "Henry needs you, you go home. We'll handle it."

"But what about your mother?" JJ wondered. "Your dinner, remember?"

Emily gave a small smile, "This is the perfect excuse, isn't it?"

"Wait a minute, Dave, where are you going to be?" Morgan wondered. If they were roped into this, he should be too, not wooing his latest lady friend.

Standing up, Rossi checked his watch. If he was going to shower and change before dinner, he needed to leave now. "I've got… plans."

"That's a vague answer." Reid replied. "Not abnormally so for you, but at a time like this I think we're entitled to more of an explanation. I mean, if this case is so passionate for you, wouldn't you be willing to break your plans just as Emily had?"

Rossi had always been the master of deflection. With hesitation, he headed leisurely towards the door, proclaiming his farewell. "Good night, children."

Hotch waited until the old man stepped out before continuing. It was not their imagination that made him appear much calmer now, though his unease was still plain as day. "Let's finish up any pending work that can't wait until Monday. We'll meet back here in about an hour."

Everyone agreed, getting up to leave. JJ was in the most hurry, wanting to get out of here before Friday night traffic kept her in gridlock for hours on end. DuPont Circle could be murder this time of day. "I really appreciate this, Em."

"No problem," she said with a much too happy smile. "I guess I better call my mother and give her the bad news."

"You look real disappointed, Princess." Morgan noted with a smile and a wink.

It made Emily laugh as she walked out. Reid was half a step behind her, both walking to their desks as unhurried as anything.

"Are you doing okay?" Reid wondered as they headed down the steps.

"I'm fine," Emily said, glancing at him. It wasn't uncommon for Reid to ask how she was. He'd been doing it for years. Hearing him say it like that, however, suggested he was worried about her. "Why do you ask?"

As they made it to their seats, Reid looked to her. "You just don't seem like yourself today, that's all. It would make sense if the reason was simply about your mother, but… I just feel like there's something more bothering you. If there was, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?"

With a smile, Emily resisted the urge to pull him into her arms. She couldn't here, especially with Garcia walking past them. She waited for the bubbly girl to step out before continuing, not wanting to be overheard. "I'm doing just fine. Better now that I've gotten out of dinner." She picked up her phone and let out a sigh. "No bars again. This cell service is awful, thank goodness my contract is up soon, I can switch."

"You know my plans up in a month." Reid announced before she could get away "Maybe… we could get one together. It's more efficient that way, from what I've learned."

Surprised, Emily looked to him. "A cell phone contract lasts for about 2 years, Spencer… are you… I mean… are you sure you're ready for a commitment like that?"

"2 years?" He wondered. "Honestly Emily… that doesn't seem very long at all."

She didn't really know what to say to that. The pounding of her heart said it all for her. "Well, then… okay." She said with a nod and a smile, and that was that. Clutching her phone, Emily tried to walk as casually as possibly to the elevators, trying not to smile like a stupid school girl.

She made it to the elevator where Rossi was waiting, pressing the down arrow over and over. "You can press that button all you want, it's not going to come any faster." Emily muttered as she waited.

He shot her a slight glare, standing beside her. "You look too happy. Either you just got off the phone with your mother or… you just told our resident genius he's about to become a daddy."

With a light laugh, Emily shook her head. "Neither, unfortunately. I can't tell him here. We'll just have to wait until we're alone."

"Then what's going on?" He wondered. As much as he had on his mind, his concern for her never faltered.

"Nothing," She said, glancing back at Reid. He was heading to the break room, an empty coffee mug clutched in his hand. Stopping her smile was like trying to stop the tide from coming in. "I just… I really think everything's going to be… great."

"You do?" He asked, just as happy for her.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I mean… I don't know how he's going to react to the baby, but… I know he loves me. He wants to be with me, and I want to be with him. If we're certain about that, I know everything's going to turn out great." She blushed and shrugged. "Who wouldn't be happy about that?"

Rossi put his arm around her, giving her a squeeze. Emily didn't even notice when she moved closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder, fitting so naturally in his embrace. "I'm happy for you, Emily. After all you've been through, everything you've done… you deserve real happiness."

She nudged him, "So do you, you know."

"Thanks," He replied, the elevator opening. "And, maybe someday… I'll get it."

He reached over to brush back Emily's soft hair. Rossi didn't sound too enthused about that. He had long ago given up the hope of living that kind of life. He'd gotten close once or twice, but it never lasted. It never would.

Both were so distracted by their own thoughts, they hadn't noticed they had an audience. Garcia, coming out of her office with a few different take out menus spotted the two waiting before the metal doors. She'd been too far back to hear anything, but body language spoke in amplified tones. The way Rossi held her, and the responding way she leaned into him. Not to mention Emily's smile. The unmistakable smile of a woman in love.

As the elevator took them from sight, she chuckled and rolled her eyes. This was what happened when she was alone with her thoughts too long. That didn't seem possible. JJ had mentioned something about Emily having a secret boyfriend, but it didn't seem possible it was Rossi.

The two were close, though. Could they possibly be more than close or was she just grasping at straws again, just like when they had suspected there was something going on between Emily and Reid. Looking back now, Garcia couldn't believe they'd thought of something so crazy.


	7. Jack Daniels and Jose Cuervo

_Reid didn't say much on the way home. It was late. Being the last two to leave the unit, it didn't seem necessary to leave separately and reunite later. Besides, Emily wasn't so sure her boyfriend was in a condition to drive._

_It had been a long day, a long case. Four days the team spent in in Indianapolis, trying to track down a killer who was torturing teenage girls for days before drowning them in the river. They'd arrived with only 30 hours to save the most recent victim, finding her and their unsub thanks to some clever deducing from their resident genius. Unfortunately, what was mere seconds turned out to mean everything… not able to save the girl before she drowned._

_Reid couldn't stop blaming himself. Everyone tried to assure him it wasn't his fault; he – they – had done everything in their power. He wasn't convinced, knowing if he'd just figured out the truth sixty seconds sooner, that girl would be at home with her parents right now, both irreversibly grief stricken._

_It was raining in DC when they got home; both of them drenched from the downpour. They normally loved getting caught in the rain, ever since the day they confessed their love to each other in the thunderstorm, but it was the last thought on their minds today. She glanced at him cautiously as she unlocked the door, opening it carefully. She gave him a smile as she allowed him in first. Reid nodded his appreciation and stepped inside._

_As he walked into the dark hall, Emily knew she had to do something for him. Something to help him get his emotions out and just let that pain go. Perhaps it wasn't the most constructive decision, but it had always been Emily's go-to solution in the past. They did have tomorrow off, and Reid deserved to let loose and have a little fun. With a small smirk, she entered the apartment with him._

_She set her bag by the coat rack, right next to Reid's. Emily would worry about the dirty laundry tomorrow, tonight was about them. She tossed her keys on the counter, closing and locking the doors before finally relieving herself of her badge and gun._

"_So," Emily mentioned, tousling her damp, ebony hair a bit. "Should we get out of these wet things?"_

_She smiled at him, but Reid didn't return it. He didn't care very much that his shirt was half soaked and puddles had splashed halfway up his pants, nor that his messy chestnut hair looked matted to his head. The poor, despondent man claimed one of the stools at the counter, facing into the kitchen. He looked like he lost his best friend._

"_Spencer," Emily urged. "What happened today was not your fault."_

"_I should have been better." Reid shook his head. "If I had… if I had just gotten up earlier, or I hadn't went to get that second cup of coffee… or if I had just run a little faster down that slope-"_

"_Spencer!" She yelled, rushing over to place her hand on his shoulder. "That girl is dead because someone kidnapped her, tortured her, and killed her, not because you didn't run fast enough. He is the one with blood on his hands, not you… all you did was try to save her."_

_He let out half a chuckle, turning to her as he stood up. "I didn't try hard enough, did I?"_

_Her heart broke as he stepped away from her, going into the living room. He stared out the huge picture window at the beautiful landscape outside, still barren from the winter months. Rain streaked down the windows and the sky was dominated by shades of gray. All he did was stare for a long time, like he was trying to see more than what was there. She usually adored when he looked like that, but now all she wanted was for him to stop, just to see him smile again. It felt like he might never smile again._

_Emily took a step closer to him, wishing he would open up to her. Reid always did this. He bottled up his feelings until they exploded, taking out all of those who were unlucky enough to be in the line of fire. That wasn't healthy, and it pushed the people who loved him away. If Emily needed any kind of push to do this, she didn't now._

"_Are you okay, Sweetheart?" She asked, knowing he loved hearing her call him that, especially after four days of being platonic._

_He hesitated, before he turned around, trying to give her the bravest face he could. "If you don't mind, I'm not really hungry… I think I'm just going to go to bed."_

_With a sigh and a smirk, Emily shook her head. "No, you're not."_

"_What?" He asked, bewildered she would deny his request like he were a bratty child._

"_We have had a rough week, Spencer," She informed, hurrying over into the kitchen. She searched through her cupboards, looking for the supplies. "We need something to help us relax."_

"_I think a goodnight sleep will do the trick." He insisted._

"_And when you wake up in the morning, you're going to feel just as lousy as you do right now, not mention suffering through a restless night of nightmares." She replied, smiling as she spotted the bottle. Nearly full, too. Perfect. "If you're going to feel lousy tomorrow morning, you ought to have a reason."_

_At that, Emily pulled a large bottle down. From here, Reid could read the label. Jose Cuervo._

_He responded just as she suspected. Reid backed away, shaking his head. "That's not productive, Emily."_

"_That's the whole point." She insisted, setting the bottle onto the counter. She then went in search of glasses and the salt shaker. She had the girls over for a movie night last week and made margaritas; she suspected she might have some limes left. "We've had a whole week of stress, Baby, we need to do something that's going to take our mind off of it. To just… feel good for a little while." As she pulled down two shot glasses, a thought suddenly struck her. Turning around, she looked to Reid. "Have you ever been drunk before?"_

"_Twice," Reid answered bitterly. "And I despised the feeling. I was humiliated, both times. The only reason I did it the second time was because Morgan insisted he take me out for my birthday. We all know how badly that turned out. I'm not making the same mistakes a third time."_

_Emily set the tiny glasses next to the bottle. "Spencer," she said sweetly, resting her palms on the counter, facing him with a loving smile. "You're not going to be humiliated tonight. You're not in a bar, you're not surrounded by strangers, we're alone. It's just you and me… nothing bad can happen to you when you're with me. Trust me… it'll be fun."_

_Reid was still reluctant, but the love light shining in those beautiful rich brown eyes… he trusted her enough to at least give it a try. Alcohol had very calming effects on the human body and mind, maybe it would make him forget about what happened. At least for a little while._

"_I've never done tequila shots before." He said with shy smile, stepping closer._

_Emily's grin turned sinful. She unscrewed the bottle and poured one glass as she said, "Well, then my dear… you've come to the right place." At that, she picked up the shot, the liquor nearly spilling over the top. In a flash, she downed the whole thing in one gulp._

_It was obvious Reid as an inexperienced drinker. He nearly spit out the tequila on the first shot. It took three more before he got the general hang of it, sputtering and choking as he tried to force it down. He couldn't comprehend how anyone could find this fun… although after that fourth shot, he seemed to forget he thought that, along with most of his other inhibitions._

_He was a fast learner though. An hour passed them and the storm raged on. Emily was engulfed in that familiar sensation of warmth, her body feeling loose and limber. She stared at Reid as he flawlessly took his next shot like a pro, licking the salt off his hand and sucking the lime section just as she taught him. The liquor was definitely affecting him, making him dazed and distracted. His cheeks her blushing fuchsia and his hair was ruffled from throwing back each sip. She'd never seen Reid drunk and she liked it. Maybe it was the tequila, but she was certain he'd never looked so sexy before._

"_Maybe I am being too hard on myself," Reid stammered as he set the wedge beside his empty glass, "but I feel like that girl was depending on me… she must have been praying for days for someone to save her… she probably didn't even know we were… just seconds away…"_

_Angling herself, Emily moved closer and put her arms around him. The alcohol had made her so hot and bothered, being this close to his body was driving her crazy. "Spencer… I feel horrible we lost that girl, too, but we did everything we could. I know you have this Knight in Shining Armor Complex, but it's not your job to save everyone. Sometimes we just can't win, even when we do our best."_

_Reid turned to look at her. The sadness was so evident in his eyes. A cloudiness she'd never seen before. He was not a person who was so open, letting his emotions out so freely. "I've been there Emily… I've been strapped to a chair and beaten and dragged into a grave… and believed my life was coming to an end."_

"_I know," She said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I barely knew you then, but I was so afraid of losing you. We've all been there Sweetheart, and it stays with you, I know…"_

_He looked so deeply into her eyes, it felt like he was staring right through her. For a moment, she thought he might cry. "Do you know how many times I stay up nights and watch you while you sleep… thinking what if… what could have happened… every female victim, no matter what her age or looks… I see you… I feels like I have to save you all over again."_

_She knew he was talking about Sutter. "Spencer… I'm alright. I'm alive, because of you, you saved me."_

_"No!" He cried. "You saved me, remember? If you hadn't shot Sutter, he'd have killed me. And then he would have found you… we're alive because of you, not me!"_

"_What about when he was here?" She wondered. "The day he broke in here. I told you to stay away but because you knew better, you stopped him before he could hurt me… don't you remember? We were right over there." She pointed towards the side table on the other end of the couch. "And you pulled me into your arms and you did the impossible. You made me feel safe, no one could ever do that. If you hadn't been there, I would be dead… and then Sutter would never have touched you. I saved you because you saved me."_

_He smiled, leaning his brow against hers. "You saved me long before that, Emily."_

_She nodded, remembering when Watson held him hostage, but as she met his gaze again, Emily realized that wasn't what Spencer was talking about. He didn't mean when he was held captive or when he lost his memory, or the cult in Colorado. His meaning was on a completely different level._

_Her words had soothed him, and the feel of her warm arms around his inebriated body put him at such ease. He felt terrible about that victim, but Emily and the others were right. As hard as he tried, her death was not his fault. It was important to remember that, that he was a good person who had no desire but to do good in the world._

"_I'm sorry I got so upset," He muttered, giving her a small smile. "Thank you for trying to make me feel better."_

_She brushed her hand on his cheek, feeling the heat generated from him. Emily longed to feel that burning heat claim her body. "I don't ever want you to stop being the wonderful man that you are, this amazing person I fell in love with… but you have to learn you can't keep these things bottled up, Baby. It's not healthy… all it does is hurt you. I hate to see you in pain… you have to learn to let it go every once in a while._

_He pressed a kiss on the palm of her hand, trying to close any remaining space between them. "You're right… and I have to admit, this is fun… letting our inhibitions go. It's fascinating the people we become when our primal instincts are allowed to take over."_

_Spencer Reid, never failing in discovering new aspects of the world around him. It was time to turn this man's mind completely off._

_She pecked a kiss on his lips. Reid reached out for more, but Emily pulled away. He watched her curiously, wondering what was working behind her eyes. _

"_Not bad for your first time with tequila," She smiled as she poured out two more shots. "We're going to do something a little different now."_

_What was left of Reid's reasoning was telling him he'd had enough to drink. Together, they'd nearly drained the entire bottle. Now was the time to call it a night… until he saw Emily unbuttoning her blouse, revealing the fire engine red bra underneath, cupping those all too perfect breasts he loved so much. She tossed the garment away; out of sight, out of mind._

_She drained her shot quickly, wincing a bit at the sharpness of the liquor. "Okay," She said, holding her hand out to stop him from doing the same. "This time, you're going to lick the salt…" She picked off the shaker and sprinkled a few grains in the crook of her neck, "off my shoulder… drink your shot… and then suck the lime."_

_His brain instantly stopped shouting at him. He didn't want to stop. He wanted to pull her into his arms and make love to her until the sun burst through those dark clouds out there. First, he'd do as she asked… if he could stop staring at her. Did she have any idea how crazy she was driving him, taking in the sight of her ivory torso. He ached to massage his hands along her creamy curves, to thrust his tongue in her tiny belly button, and taste every inch of her sweet skin. They were already perspiring greatly, the sweet smell of summer rain and baby powder surrounding him, clouding his already foggy mind. He wanted her so badly._

_Moving closer, he swiped his tongue on her shoulder, tasting the salt grains mixing with the sweat of her flesh. He didn't stop there, engulfing her and suckling the spot of her neck, moving his body closer to her._

_She squealed a bit as he nipped her, pulling away. He picked up his shot and threw it back, also grimacing as it went down, instantly warming his body._

"_Where's the lime?" He asked, looking to her and trying to get his eyes to focus._

_Her smirk was pure evil as she grabbed the wedge off the coffee table. Reid held his hand to take it, but Emily moved further away. His jaw dropped slightly as she leaned back against the arm of the sofa, nestling the lime right in the center of her cleavage._

_There wasn't an ounce of blood in Reid's brain for any remaining functions to work. He practically flung himself on her, reaching up to her breasts to take the sour fruit in his mouth, sucking it lightly. Even the gentlest brush of his lips as he took the fruit made her shudder, longing for so much more. With a soft sigh, her fingers lost themselves in his messy chestnut tendrils, her legs positioning around him to get him as close as possible._

_That was it, Reid sat up long enough to spit the lime onto the coffee table, the momentum forcing it to bounce off the glass and onto the floor. Turning back to the gorgeous siren in his arms, he reached up to meet her lips, bringing her into a passionate kiss._

_Their hands were instantly at work, touching and caressing each other anywhere they could. Emily unbuttoned his shirt and shoved it off his shoulders, going for his t-shirt next. Their lips finally disconnected long enough for her to pull the cotton fabric over his head, tossing in the same direction as her own top. Her lips holding his in a gravitational pull, he fell back to hers, her hands running down his slender stomach to find the hem of his trousers._

"_Em," he muttered, feeling her hands mess with his belt buckle, trying to get her trembling hands to unfasten it. "Don't you think… we should take this, mm… upstairs?"_

_There was no time for that. She needed him and she needed him now. Emily knew Spencer had to be in the same state. Her legs wrapped around him, holding him tight against her. Her burning eyes met his as she questioned, "Give me one good reason why we should stop and go upstairs? I'm perfectly comfortable right… here."_

_At that, she gave a sway of her hips, grinding against his middle. Reid lost all ability to think, not sure why he was so concerned as to make that long journey upstairs anyway. He gave her one more long kiss before sitting up, helping her quickly undo his belt and fly. She shoved them and his briefs down his hips as he went to work on her black slacks._

_As he lay over her again, he nuzzled her neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of her. "I love you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her shoulder._

"_Show me," she hissed, her tongue slithered out to tickle his ear. She felt him shudder as he reached over to pull her into a powerful kiss, the two coming together like their bodies and souls were truly one. They were meant to be together, making love so real, they felt like they could reach out and touch it._

Thinking back, Emily recalled that night from two months ago. Most of the evening was in pieces; she wondered how much Reid remembered. It didn't occur to her until the next morning while she was battling a massive hangover, that there was indeed a good reason for them to go upstairs. It didn't exactly worry her, however. Taking her age into consideration, the odds of her getting pregnant after one unprotected time were so slim, it barely seemed plausible. However, now it seemed her high school sex education class had been right all along. It only takes one time. She couldn't say she regretted it, though.

Despite the circumstances, it was really turning into a pleasant evening. Take-out food and casual conversation as they looked over old cases belonging to Lovefield, Winslow, and her partner, Agent Klein. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary and, more importantly, nothing that linked the younger agents to the older one. In fact, it was becoming a bit tedious to Emily, and she couldn't stop her mind from wandering… her eyes landing across the room.

He flipped through the pages of each file, his eyes appearing unfocused like he wasn't seeing the words at all. The concentration on his face… did he have any idea how sexy he was when he looked like that? He was such an incredible man, unlike anyone else in the world. Not just because he was smart, but he was so sweet and caring… he loved her like no one else in the world ever could… how lucky was she that he was in love with her, and now the father of her baby? She might have doubts about herself, but she knew Spencer was going to be an amazing father. They were going to be such a happy family.

"Got your mind on something, Emily?" Garcia asked, also distracted from her work. Startled, Emily looked over to see her with a knowing simper on her face. Oh God, what had JJ told her?

"What?" She asked, playing dumb.

"Just that you've been staring out the window with that silly smile on your face for the last twenty minutes." She pointed out, setting her current file down to grab her drink for a sip. "What are you thinking about so much?"

The men found this mildly interesting, too. Even Hotch, who glanced up from his diligent work. Slightly embarrassed, Emily tried to force herself to read, scoffing it off.

"Nothing," She muttered. "Just… I have my mind on some stuff, that's all."

"Uh, huh." Garcia twitted. "And would this stuff have anything to do with a certain secret boyfriend?"

Stunned, Morgan threw his file down, "What?"

"Garcia!" Emily hissed.

Reid, who'd been pretending this conversation wasn't penetrating his concentration, suddenly looked up interested. Emily avoided his eyes, though.

"Uh… where did you hear about that, Garcia?" She wondered

"A little birdie told me she's been having a hot and heavy fling for the last six months." She explained with such confidence, it was like she'd known all along.

"Is that a fact, Princess?" Morgan asked, folding his arms over his chest. "Well this is the first time I'm hearing about it. I've got to say, I'm a little hurt."

"It's nothing!" Emily cried wanting to shut them up. "It's not a big deal, which you should realize since I haven't wanted to talk about it. We're probably going to break up soon, anyway."

"Yeah, I'm real convinced. A girl doesn't look like she's madly in love when she's about to break up with someone." The bubbly girl pointed out. "You're head over stiletto heels, you can't fool us."

"Guys, I think if Emily doesn't want to talk about it, we should respect her wishes." Hotch said, trying to bring an end to this. Not only was Emily uncomfortable, but he could tell Reid was getting upset. At first sight he looked calm, but the file in his hands wasn't shaking on its own. He wasn't worried… it was something else… like he was angry.

"Thank you, Hotch." Emily said, looking over to him. "We have more important things to deal with right now, anyway."

"Just tell me one thing," Garcia said, as if she couldn't stop herself. "Is it true he's an older man?"

Emily was stunned for a moment, knowing specifically she told JJ he was younger. She might be keeping mum about this, but anything she had revealed, it was the truth. "Where did you hear that?"

"JJ told me a little bit about it and she said you are a bit embarrassed because there was an age difference." She pointed out. "I know your type, Em. You're not a gold digger, but you're also not one to shop in the junior's section, either.

"That's true," Morgan noted. "I think you've made your mistake there, Prentiss."

"That's enough, Morgan!" Emily exclaimed, glancing at Reid cautiously. How dare he say something like that! As far as he was concerned, Reid was still in the dark about what had happened during his injury, and always would be. How could he say something so insensitive, right in front of him.

She was at least grateful her friends weren't on the right trail. At least they didn't suspect her lover wasn't also sitting in this room. Reid, however, folding his file closed, turned to Garcia. "Why do you say that? Why do you assume Emily would be more willing to be with an older man than a younger one?"

Had another person asked that, they might have been suspicious, but this was Reid. He was genuinely curious about the world. Morgan took the initiative to answer, hoping he could say this without the young man suspecting anything. "This might be hard for you to understand, kid, but… Emily is a unique person. There's not a lot of women like her. She's not interested in money or youth… she's much deeper than that. She's attracted to passion and romance… she wants a man who can get inside her head and make her weak in the knees… the kind only an experienced man can give her. Maybe you'll understand one day."

"Excuse me!" He cried. "You think I can't comprehend your troglodyte thinking? I may not take a woman home every night, Morgan, but I'm not ignorant when it comes to romance and passion!"

"Reid, calm down!" Emily urged. He hated having him pulled into the middle of this. She'd love to show Morgan up and prove that it was not only a younger man who made her feel this way, but the resident genius himself.

"Sweetie, what my incredibly tactless boy is trying to say is that… you've never been in love." Garcia assured. "It's hard to appreciate these kind of feelings if you've never experienced them yourself. Someday you'll find a nice girl and that'll make your heart beat like bongo drums and you'll feel things for her you never thought logically possibly… and then you'll understand that passion, too. You'll make her feel like she's walking on air and you'll make her smile the way Emily's been trying to hide. Don't worry, it'll happen for you, too."

She was trying to be nice, she was trying to tell him that he, too, deserved love, but all it did was insult him. Like he wasn't capable of having a woman like Emily Prentiss. It was bad enough he felt that worthless himself, he didn't need his friend to remind him how ineffably lucky he was. Tossing the file on the table much too forcefully, Reid got to his feet. "Great, I'll remember that. I need some air."

"Oh, come on, kid!" Morgan cried, annoyed he was taking this so personally.

As he went to get out of his seat to run after him, Hotch made him stop, "Don't, Morgan. He needs some space from you right now."

Morgan paused for a moment, deciding if perhaps he should just defying the chief and follow the boy, but decided against it. Hotch was grateful. Who knew what Reid was liable to say were Morgan to provoke him further, and revealing the truth of his and Emily's relationship was the last thing this team needed to deal with right now. Right now was about the case. Once it was over, he would bring an end to this, and make sure Emily and Reid were taken care of the way they deserved.

Emily, on the other hand, didn't want him to be alone. "Why don't I go talk to him? Maybe I can make him feel better."

"Tell him we're sorry," Garcia assured. "We didn't mean to hurt his feelings."

"I'm sure he knows that," Emily nodded just before she stepped out the door. "I think… he's just a little frustrated."

"Because he doesn't have anyone?" Morgan wondered.

Garcia was right, her partner could be very offensive sometimes. If only he knew the truth, his brain would explode. "Something like that," she murmured, and with that slipped out the door.

* * *

"Oh, Bart," Lenore sighed as she closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I always knew it would end this way… he made enemies left and right, it was only a matter of time before he went too far."

Her saddened blue eyes looked up to find Rossi's across from her at the table. Although they had agreed to meet for dinner, neither were too interested in eating. Indeed, after ordering a Jack Daniels malt and a white wine, they didn't even bother to look at their menus, discussing the events that brought them here.

"Had you talked to him lately?" He asked. "Maybe there was some indication he was in trouble, or he was suddenly paranoid."

"Honestly, we haven't spoken a word since the day we signed the papers." She said, finally looking up from the old picture of her former husband. It was the most recent one in his file, taken a few years ago. "He didn't even say anything before he walked out of the lawyer's office… he met my eyes and… the look of anger and hurt… I swear, that will haunt me forever."

"It was my fault." Rossi said at once. "I broke up your marriage."

Lenore looked to him in disbelief. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? You taking the blame? Well, if it's your fault, then I guess your divorce from Jessica is my doing, isn't it?"

"No," He said at once. "Lenny… it happened because I was weak. Jessica wouldn't even look at me, I needed someone… I know I'm to blame, for everything."

After a moment, Lenore reached over and took his hand, rough and calloused from years on the job. "Not everything… I know you were upset. I can't even comprehend the pain you must have been in."

Rossi squeezed her hand. There wasn't much left between them now. Truly, there had never been, but they shared a small bond. She had been there for him when he had nothing, when he felt like the only choice he had was at the end of a gun barrel. Her caring and support had saved his life and they confused that for love. Hein sight could be very blinding.

"Have you talked to Jessica?" She wondered.

They were getting off topic. All Rossi wanted was some information on Lovefield, something that might have led to his death, instead they were digging up history Rossi thought better remained buried. There were parts of his past he tried desperately to forget and after so many years, he was able to function like they were nothing. The people in his life never suspected a thing. If they only knew.

He shook his head as he lifted his glass to take a sip. "Not lately… we do keep in touch. After the initial pain of the affair faded, we were able to carry a normal conversation. She sends me an email every few months just to say 'hello'. Once every few years, we'll meet for dinner… I think it's her way to hang on, just in case…" He shook his head again, closing his eyes, feeling nothing but pity for the poor woman. "Part of her has to realize there's no hope, but… she still can't accept it until she knows the truth."

Lenore could sense he was getting uncomfortable, and decided to get back to the conversation at hand. "I'm sorry I don't have much to tell you, I really can't think of anyone who would kill Bart… at least people who aren't behind bars."

"What about Debra Winslow or Matthew Klein?" He suggested, curious. "Have you ever heard of them?"

She thought for a moment, thinking hard. After a few tense moments, she shook her head. "Never heard of them? What are they, the modern day Bonnie and Clyde?"

"No," he answered. "They're fellow agents. Agent Winslow was killed in a similar manner as Bart and Agent Klein, her partner, skipped town. They're a little younger, so the odds Bart knew them when you were married is low, but… it never hurts to ask."

"No," she answered again. "I've never heard of either of them… I guess I'm not much help, am I?"

"I wouldn't say that," Rossi replied, forcing a smile, "it at least narrows down some leads. And it was good to see you, Lenny."

"You, too," She nodded, sounding as if she didn't mean it at all. "I do wish Bart and I could have made amends before he died… it always felt so foolish, throwing away a marriage for nothing."

He couldn't deny to himself how much that sentence hurt. She thought of him as nothing, and all she did for him hadn't even mattered. He reached into his pocket to extract his wallet, leaving a crisp fifty dollar bill on the table. A pretty decent tip for just two drinks, but Rossi had always been a generous guy. Something most people never noticed about him. He picked up his drink, feeling this would taste better once seated at the bar. "I'll let you know when we find out what happened."

"I'd appreciate that," She said, picking up her wine glass. "Thanks for the drink."

"Any time," He muttered, turning to leave, muttering too low for her to hear. "Thanks for nothing."

What a waste of time this was. He certainly could have done without the horrific trip down memory lane, trudging up the most horrible memories of his past. One glass was not going to be enough tonight. Three sounded like too little.

"Another scotch," He ordered from the bar tender as he went to take a seat. He sighed, feeling much more relaxed here. For a Friday night, the bar was fairly empty here at the Van Buren Hotel. Although, it was still early. Most people were heading to the dining room. It would get fuller in here later, as the hotel guests came back from a time enjoying the nightlife Washington had to offer.

There were few people in here, though. Some were at the little tables, talking in hushed tones. The bar was a more solo location. One business man with his tie loosened sat at one end, his hair a mess and sweating like he'd had too much to drink already, perhaps avoiding having to go home to his depressing home life.

The other, however, was much more appealing. An attractive woman who looked maybe ten years younger than the old profiler. She sipped her glass, draining the last of the liquid inside it, leaving nothing but the ice melting together. If he angled his head just right, he could glimpse the way her long nylon legs crossed, one over the other. Her skirt riding up just slightly along her toned thighs. Her dark brunette hair hung loosely around her, perfect and in place. She was dressed very sophisticated, but any man with a general interest in the opposite sex wouldn't deny giving her a second glance.

His eyes lingered on the unbuttoned top of her shirt and his legs suddenly had a mind of their own. He wasn't the ladies' man he used to be, the one that had given him such a reputation in the FBI, but tonight he could feel his instincts kicking in. Climbing off his stool, he took his empty glass and headed down the bar.

She was staring off into the dining room, longingly almost. Like she was missing someone. "Waiting for a date?" Rossi asked as he took the set on the corner, leaving only one chair between them.

The woman turned towards him, a little startled. After a few seconds she gave a light laugh. "More like got stood up for one… and it wasn't exactly a date, just… dinner with someone I love."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He said, folding his hands on the bar. "But if he loves you, too, he'll reschedule."

She smiled, brushing back a piece of her hair. The way she did that was so familiar, and her smile… it was elegant with a hint that she was hiding a secret. It made her so sexy and Rossi felt strangely comfortable with her. "Sometimes I wonder if that's true."

"You should never be with someone who doesn't love you." Rossi insisted. "Trust me, it took me three times to learn that lesson… and I still can't learn from my mistake."

She gave a laugh, at last looking over to meet his eyes. "That's a lot of divorces. But I can't say I'm innocent there, either."

"How many?" He wondered.

"Oh, just the one." She replied. "I never really got close to anyone else to try a second time. My job takes up a lot of my time, and the few times I thought I might be close, my head strong teenage daughter got in the way."

"I don't believe it!" He cried. "You look way too young to have a teenager."

She laughed again, and something stirred inside Rossi's stomach. He felt extremely attracted to this woman. He couldn't remember having this sensation so quickly, and he didn't even know her name yet. There was just something there… like he'd been waiting for her all his life. Is that what love at first sight was like?

The woman's long manicured index finger traced along the crystal lip of the empty glass. "If you only knew how old she really was, you'd probably run for the hills."

"Oh come on, you can't be older than what… 40? 41?" He wondered.

He had been trying to be gentle. In truth, Rossi thought she was in her late forties, but she looked more stunned than anything. "More like 59," she corrected and gave him a knowing smirk, as if expecting him to excuse himself now.

"That's impossible!" He cried, unbelieving this woman was only a few years younger than he, and suddenly he felt doubly fascinated by her. She seemed surprised when he not only stayed, but inched closer to her. "And here I thought I hadn't lost my touch, that a younger girl might be interested in me."

"Now what would you want with that kind of girl?" She asked turning herself a bit to face him better. He got a better view of her gorgeous, curved body. "They're so stupid and foolish… older woman are so much more… experienced, don't you think?"

As Rossi began to wonder what the nightly rate was on the rooms here, he eyed her empty glass. "What say I buy you another drink?"

She smiled again, revealing her perfect white teeth. "What say you do?"

There was something so familiar about her. He couldn't put his finger on it, though, and it was driving him crazy. The bar tender set his new glass on a napkin and went to take his old one. "Another for the lady," he indicated, giving her a wink.

"Scotch," She told the bar tender and went to find the impressed look on her new friend's face. Rossi was amazed. He only knew of one woman who could handle scotch. Unfortunately, she had always been much too young for him… and she had always been more of a daughter to him, anyway.

"I'm David, by the way," He said, offering his hand.

She paused for a moment as she accepted his shake. Finally, she announced, "Lizzie,"

"Lizzie," He repeated. It had taken so long for her to answer, he thought it might be fake.

"It's my nickname… I don't go by it too much anymore, but… I'm feeling much more relaxed tonight." She bit her lip enticingly for a moment, her soft hand stroking down his arm. It sent shivers through his body that he hadn't felt since he was a frat boy in college.

Her new drink was set before her and Rossi raised his. "Cent'anni,"

"May you live a hundred years." She said, toasting him as well, and with that, they both took a long, warming drink.

* * *

Emily called out for him as she hurried out of the front doors of the building. Immediately, she was hit by a rush of cold air. The temperature had dropped dramatically after the sun went down. She shivered as she stepped out, catching sight of his silhouette.

At the call of his name, Reid turned. His face was illuminated by the stream of the security light. He looked so downtrodden and it broke her heart.

Emily hurried out the doors. She walked to him as fast as he could. At least he didn't turn away from as she approached.

"Spencer," she said as she got closer, "please, don't be upset. You know what they say doesn't matter. They don't know you like I do."

"Emily," he said, hanging his head a bit. "You don't have to make me feel better."

"But it's true!" She cried, reaching out to brush her hand down his arm. She wished so much he would pull her into his arms, it was so cold out here. "They have no idea how truly loving and attentive you are… even from the very beginning." Her hand landed on his cheek, already chilled from the night air. He seemed to move into her touch, like he was trying to absorb her warmth. "Remember our first dance together?"

"A little," he replied. "It's so foggy… it feels more like I dreamt it."

"Well, it was real. It was very, very real." She said with a smile, "And you made me feel like I was walking on air that night. When you, the real you, finally kissed in the hotel room in Ohio, I felt it all over again… I swear, I have yet to come down. They don't know it, but it _is_ you that's making me so happy. That's making me feel so alive. You're not even trying, you're just… being you."

He opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped rather abruptly. As he took in the full sight before him, his concern became only for her. "You're shivering."

Her teeth chattered a little as she nodded. "It's fine, I didn't think to grab my jacket."

"Here," He said at once, unbuttoning his sweater. In a flash, his talented, nimble fingers undid each one, easily pulling it off his limbs. He threw it over her shoulders, helping her pull it on. "There," He said as her other arm fit securely in garment, "that'll keep you warm."

"Thank you," she smiled. "See… just when I think you can't be more wonderful, you go and do this… you will never stop making me fall in love with you."

She reached up to press a kiss to his cheek, not worried there might be some wandering eyes staring down at them through Hotch's office window. Who cares if they saw, they were going to find out in a few weeks, anyway.

If that wasn't enough, she went on. "You can't blame them because I used to see you so innocently and straight forward, too, but… now I know how amazing you are and very soon… they'll know it, too."

"Emily," Reid urged, "I'm not offended by what they said."

Confused, "You're not?"

"No… I told you a long time ago. I keep who I am to myself because I've accepted that they can't see me as anything else but weak and fragile, no matter how I prove myself time and time again."

"Well, then I don't understand," Emily said, shaking her head. "Why are you so upset?"

Reid didn't know if he wanted to answer that. He felt embarrassed he was acting so immature. Hanging his head, unable to meet her eyes, Reid shrugged.

"I think… it's because I'm jealous." Reid said, staring down at his sneakers. The soles were just centimeters with from the tips of Emily's brown leather boots. "Everyone sees you so happy… so in love… you're so beautiful like this, they've never seen you so alive and filled with joy. At least I can't remember a time, and I would be the most likely-" He stopped abruptly, realizing he was starting to ramble. Clearing his throat, he got back on track. "It's just that I don't like another man getting credit for this. Even if he doesn't exist."

She was so startled, never expecting he felt that way. Honestly, she didn't think jealousy was possible if there wasn't another party involved.

"That's a little silly, don't you think?" She wondered, her arms going over his shoulders. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, instantly beginning to warm her.

He didn't think so. "Imagine how I feel. I fought for you for so many years, I stood idly by, wishing a day would come when you might see me differently… and now, when we're around the team and I have to act like you just a friend… I still feels like I'm fighting, that I don't actually have you at all."

"You're wrong!" She exclaimed, pulling him closer. "Spencer I love you, and you love me. No matter what anyone says or thinks, we know that truth. That's all that matters, or will ever matter."

It took a moment, but her words sunk in at last. In the dim light, she could see the smile form on his face. "You're right, I'm sorry… we love each other, that's all that matters."

"Don't you ever forget that." She assured, reaching up to kiss him gently. "And I promise, you won't have to fight much longer."

At that, his smile faded, replaced by a confused expression. "Wait… what do you mean?"

She didn't understand. "What do you mean what do I mean?"

"You said I won't have to fight much longer… which indicates the team is going to find out." Reid insisted. "Judging by the fact that you've spoken a little to JJ about this, you're interested in coming out to the team."

Emily wasn't sure what to say. In truth, no she didn't want to reveal their secret. As wonderful as this was, as much as she loved him, she adored the fun and excitement that came with sneaking around. Thinking up stories to tell the others so they could be together, driving home in separate directions, only to meet up when they were alone, sneaking into the other's room in the middle of the night while on a case, knowing if they didn't keep quiet, they could easily be discovered.

But it wasn't just them anymore. They were going to have a baby and therefore, had to be more serious if they were going to be a family.

"Well," Emily said carefully, thinking maybe this might be the time to tell him about the baby. For once, she was feeling pretty normal. No nausea, no tiredness, she didn't have to go to the restroom. This feeling wasn't going to last long, she should take advantage of it.

No, she'd rather do it when they could be alone. To give him privacy so he could let the news sink in, but it wouldn't hurt to grease the wheels a little bit. To at least prepare him.

"Would it be so bad?" She suggested with a shrug. "They're our friends and… it's not right that we're deceiving them so much. We can't hope to have a life together if they're not involved. They're our family, we can't lie to them forever. It doesn't have to be tonight, but… maybe soon. In a few weeks. What do you say?"

There was a long, expectant moment as she waited for his answer. His face was impassive, and she knew he was thinking intently. Her mind was begging for him to agree, to at least say he'd consider it, because like it or not, in a few weeks, they were going to have to know anyway.

"No," he stated plainly.

Her face fell sadly. "Why not?"

"What do you mean, why not? It's a terrible idea!" Reid exclaimed. "Emily, I love you… I've loved you for six years, please don't misunderstand that, but… we need more time. We're still falling in love. We're getting to know each other. When the others find out, what we have won't be for just us anymore. It's going to be very serious and very complicated."

"I know that," Emily answered. "I know it will be difficult, but… a part of me wants to share this with them."

"I do, too, but not yet." Reid gave a smile, brushing her cheek. "I'm happy, just you and me… I can't imagine anything better. Why let someone else come in and ruin that?"

His words struck her like a hot knife right through her heart, and suddenly Emily felt nauseas again, immediately reminded it would never be just her and Reid again.

"Your right, it's a stupid idea." She muttered, trying not to choke on her words.

"I wouldn't say stupid," Reid assured, brushing her arms warmly. "Just… wrong. Someday the others will know but I like it just the two of us. I want it to stay the two of us for a very long time."

She was begging him to stop talking. Thankfully, he did. With a kiss on her forehead, he led her back towards the door. "We'd better get inside before the others come looking for us."

All Emily did was nod. They walked inside and headed towards the elevator. She avoided his gaze as she felt her eyes begin to water.

"Emily, are you alright?" Reid wondered.

"Oh, I'm fine," She mumbled, not wanting to break into tears. "Just… so tired. I hope we can go home soon."

"You read my mind," He grinned, kissing the top of her head, savoring the last moment of contact before they had to appear as just friends again. Emily still wouldn't look at him, dabbing at the corner of her eyes, letting the few emerging tears to soak into the fabric of Reid's sweater.


	8. Wasted Saturday

Rossi couldn't remember the last time he slept so well. For the moment, he forgot where he was, he just knew he was comfortable and relaxed and felt unnaturally warm.

As he opened his eyes, he saw the sunlight streaming through the burgundy curtains of the strange room. It took his tired eyes a few moments to focus, trying to make sense of what was happening… and then the events of the night came back to him. Rossi smiled.

Now he remembered. The night at the bar, meeting Lizzie and having an unforgettable conversation with her. When was the last time flirting felt so much fun and not just a means to an end? A brush of her hand, his fingers tracing circles on her thigh; every touch and glance was exciting. The tension between them built and built until Rossi felt his lips drawn to Lizzie's, fusing together molten metal. Imagine his delight when she announced she was staying at the hotel… and invited him up for a night cap.

That's why he felt so warm. He nearly forgot how wonderful it was to wake up with the soft body of a naked woman in his arms. Lizzie was still sleeping, sighing contently with a smile on her face. She was using his arm as a pillow, nestled into the crook of his elbow. His fingers were numb from lack of blood flow, but he didn't care. She looked so peaceful, with her brunette hair tousled and messed from their night of lovemaking, her lips swollen from so much passionate kissing… she looked even sexier than when he saw her at the end of the bar. All he wanted to do was stay right by her side and watch her while she slept. That was a first for him.

He tried to shift himself a bit so he could get comfortable and go back to sleep, but that had been a mistake. It startled Lizzie enough to jostle her awake. She sighed and opened her eyes, needing a moment herself to recall what brought her here with a handsome man by her side.

Her dark brown eyes like melting chocolate turned to meet his, lit up by the morning sunrise. To his delight – and relief – she smiled. "Well… good morning."

"Good morning," He grinned. "Sleep well."

"Like a rock." She muttered, trying to ignore the slight pounding in her head. She could definitely hold her liquor, but she probably should have stopped after that fourth scotch. "You?"

"Absolutely… I've never stayed at the Van Buren before." He teased.

She couldn't help but laugh. Rossi, however, his years of expertise never betraying him, couldn't help but see the worry in her eyes. Most women had them when he woke up in a situation like this, which was usually why he made it a point to leave in the night. Not this time though, and she had no reason to be scared.

"I better check my messages." She informed as she pulled herself out of bed. He watched her as she grabbed her silk robe from a chair not far from the bed. She pulled it on gracefully, almost like she were avoiding looking at him and went to her purse, quickly extracting her phone and let out a sigh.

"Something wrong?" He wondered.

"I was hoping my daughter might call." She informed a little bitterly. "She must be avoiding me."

"Kids," He said as he sat up, giving a shrug.

"Tell me about it." She muttered, shoving her loose and wild hair out of her face. "I never asked… do you have any?"

He wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. Usually, he gave the simplest answer. No. It halted any possible questions. For some reason, though, this time, Rossi didn't feel like he could lie to her. "Yeah… a daughter."

"How old is she?" She wondered, speaking gently. It was obvious the subject troubled him.

It didn't take more than a moment for him to answer. "She'd be about 30."

Lizzie got the message at once. "I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago." He assured, looking up, hoping his expression conveyed it was alright. He'd moved on, "Listen, uh… I never do this-"

"I see," she said, interrupting him. "In my experience, any man who says he doesn't do this means he always does it. I don't typically spend the night with a stranger, but I understand that you'll want to be on your way-"

"No!" He exclaimed with a smile. "Please let me finish. What I was going to say was… usually after a night like this, I'm gone by the morning."

Curious, "So…" Lizzie muttered, her fingers stroking the plastic of her cell, "what's so different this time?"

He grinned again and shrugged. "I didn't want to leave. In fact, Lizzie… I'd like to see you again."

She smirked, trying to hide her joy and remain neutral. "I'd like to see you, too, David."

His schedule was not easily predicted, something he'd have to discuss with her as soon as possible, but he couldn't leave their date up in the air, not when he knew she was feeling so vulnerable. "When?" He questioned.

She looked up and smiled, "How about breakfast?"

That he could do. "Sounds perfect. Mind if I grab a shower first?"

"Not at all." She said as he got out of bed. He wrapped the sheet around himself to keep his dignity. Still, despite his modesty, he walked over to press a kiss to her cheek. "Feel free to join me, by the way."

She suppressed the impulse to giggle like a silly school girl, biting her lip so hard she nearly drew blood. This just had to be too good to be true. A woman did not fall in love at 59-years-old in a hotel bar… it just wasn't possible.

When the bathroom door was closed she picked up her phone, having one pressing matter to take care of before breakfast. If Emily thought she was going to get out of dinner so easily, she was sorely mistaken.

* * *

If there was anything worse than the urge vomit as soon as she woke up, it was trying to do it silently. The last thing she wanted to do was wake Spencer. She made the mistake of telling him last night that she felt better, having been so caught off guard when he asked. The last thing she wanted to do was for him to wake up to find her like this, hunched over the toilet, expelling whatever survived in her stomach while she slept. It wouldn't take much to put the clues together at this point.

She just had to hold him off for a few more hours, Emily thought as she gagged another time. It was nearly painful trying to do this quietly. There was no way she could keep this up for days and days on end. No, it had to be tonight. The team was asked to come back in later this morning to continue investigating, but somehow Emily had to figure a way to get her and Reid out of there. Rossi might be able to help with that. Once they got back here, she'd sit Reid down, tell him how much she loved him and wanted to spend her life with him. Surely, he'd agree… and then, she'd lower the boom on him.

"Everything will be fine," she whispered her trembling body. Even a soft voice echoed in this bathroom. She had to keep reminding herself of that today when the doubts started to creep up on her. Reid loved her and did want to be with her. Maybe this was happening a lot sooner than either planned, but that didn't matter now. It was happening… and in the end, they were going to be very happy. Together.

At last, she felt strong enough to get off the floor. It was over for now, but this morning definitely called for a breakfast of ginger tea and dry toast. Before leaving the bathroom, she rinsed her mouth with a capful of Listerine. Just before she left, though, Emily had to stop. The smell wasn't too bad, but it was definitely evident someone got sick in here. What to do?

It surprised her when she checked under the sink to find a collection of cleaning supplies, including a spray bottle of Frebeez. the scent of spring time freshness removing the stench of puke. She had to laugh. Reid was the only man she ever dated who kept his home clean without hiring a cleaning service. He was certainly one of a kind.

She snuck out of the bathroom, finding Reid still fast asleep in his blue and white plaid pajamas. It had been so late when they finally got home. Reid and Emily were so tired that they just changed and went to bed, both falling asleep before they could mumble a goodnight to each other. Emily admired him a minute, not daring to wake him. He looked so peaceful. She might not have much of an appetite, but he practically had five stomachs. He could use a good breakfast this morning. With a smile, she headed to the kitchen to see what in his fridge she could work with.

Unfortunately, any good feeling she had this morning was quickly gone at the sound of her phone ringing. She was just reaching the living room when she heard the ringtone, the one she chose specifically so she knew who it was. In her mind, it was no more welcoming than music introducing the Wicked Witch of the West.

"Mother," Emily greeted as she answered the phone. "Good morning, what are you doing up so early on a Saturday?"

"I woke up early," she explained, "I turned in a few hours than I intended, seeing as how my plans got cancelled and all."

Her mother never forget her usual dose of concentrated guilt. Emily knew, from the moment she agreed to cancel her dinner plans, that this was coming to her. It wasn't a surprise, but it wasn't welcome, either.

"I am sorry about that, Mother, I had to work." She explained.

"Yes, you mentioned that." Elizabeth answered. "You didn't, however, tell me what case was so important at a moment's notice."

At least she wouldn't have to lie about that. "Oh, well, you see… two agents were murdered this week and another's on the run. We're trying to look into their past histories, see if there are any clues that explain these deaths."

"I see," her mother retorted, a slight hitch in her voice. She could tell as anyone could that that was important. Anyone who worked within a community like the FBI knew how painful and personal it felt when they so suddenly lost one of their own. "Well… is there a chance we can reschedule?"

"I'm not sure," Emily answered. How was she going to get out of this? It wasn't that she didn't love her mother, it was just their relationship seemed better when they were hundreds of miles apart… and when their conversations were down to a minimum. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"Indefinitely," Answered Elizabeth. It had to be just her imagination, but Emily swore there was a bitterness in her voice, like she were angry. Perhaps she shouldn't push her this time, and just accept whatever convenient offer she had.

"Well, in that case…" Emily thought for a moment, and then had a sudden idea. "How about lunch today? I'm sure Hotch wouldn't mind me going out for a few hours, of cutting out early."

"Lunch?" Her mother questioned, as if the idea were preposterous. As if only ill-mannered barbarians met over lunch.

Emily assured, "Yes, we could meet at Renee's, if you like, for lunch. Or maybe an early dinner."

Her mother thought for a moment. "Not Renee's, I changed my mind about that place. I'll decide where we should go and… I'll pick you up at the BAU."

Emily was no fool. She knew her mother was doing that to make sure she was really working on a case. There was no pressure there, and this would certainly work out to her advantage. She'd have her mother drop her off after their meeting, at the same time ask Rossi to help Reid find an excuse to get out early late this afternoon. Then she'd grab a cab, meet Reid as his place and then… they would talk.

It seemed like the best way. She'd get this meeting with her mother out of the way, freeing her from having to see her for awhile, and then she could tell Reid the truth. By the time they went to bed, everything would be done and out in the open.

"That sounds wonderful. How's 3 o'clock? Unless that's too late for you." Emily questioned.

Her mother sounded just as determined and eager as she responded. "That sounds perfect, Dear. I'm having breakfast with someone this morning, so I'd prefer it be later in the afternoon."

Breakfast, that seemed an odd time to meet with someone. "Who are you having breakfast with?"

A long hesitation stood before she answered, "Just… a friend."

"A friend," Emily could never remember being so interested in a discussion with her mother. "Really? Would this someone be of the male persuasion?"

Another pause was heard before she answered, "Perhaps,"

This was a little surreal. Dating and Elizabeth Prentiss just didn't seem to mix very well. She often hung on the arm of some prominent man to diplomatic and political functions, but she never really dated anyone. Truly, Emily couldn't remember her mother having a relationship since she was a teenager, and she was so rebellious and stubborn, it ended up driving any potential stepfathers away. Well, if this was a chance for her mother to be happy – and more importantly, keep her occupied and out of her life – she was more than willing to give this guy a chance.

"This friend wouldn't happen to be in the room with you now, Mother, would he?" Emily asked, having to suppress an excited laugh.

"No," she responded, yet added almost triumphantly, "he's in the shower."

"Very nice, Mother. I approve." Emily cried ecstatically.

"I wasn't looking for your approval, Emily." Elizabeth said. "Goodness knows you've never wanted mine. I'll see you at 3."

"See you then," Emily agreed, and they both hung up the phone. Silly of her to think she and her mother could have talked about this like normal adults. There would always be a wedge between them. No amount of talking and early dinners would ever remove that.

* * *

"That's it," Morgan said as he set his last file down. "Did anyone have better luck?"

Just a glance around the room told him the answer, and it was not a surprise. The surface of the table was a bit worse for wear. It was covered in loose paper from the files, crumpled napkins and empty take out containers. JJ sipped the last of her soda; a slight slurp signaling just about every drop was gone. She set the cup onto the table, slouching in her seat, feeling just like everyone surrounding her. What a wasted Saturday.

Emily glanced at her watch. It was twenty to three. Her stomach, which felt relatively normal this afternoon, twisted nervously. She'd be here any minute now. Her mother was famous for being early.

"Got your mind on something?" Rossi wondered, who'd been looking over in her direction.

She looked up, startled, wondering if he were teasing her or generally concerned. She opened her mouth at once to answer, but was cut off short as Reid responded to her direct right.

"I'm just starting to wonder if we've gone about this the wrong way." He muttered, that intent look in his eyes sparkled like sun of freshly fallen snow. Everyone could see it now, and it was obvious their boy wonder was on the scent of something.

"You couldn't have thought of this five hours, kid?" Morgan muttered, trying to put a light spin on what was such a frustrating situation.

Hotch was much more serious, and a lot more hopeful. "What are you thinking, Reid?"

"I think we should look over the cases again," He heard the grumble from the others, immediately adding, "but we weren't looking for the right thing. Here, look…" He searched through the disheveled pile he'd been pouring over time and time again since yesterday, each one he could recite as easily as Annabelle Leigh. After a moment, he found the one he'd been searching for, folding it open and laying it out for the others to see. He pointed out his finding and continued. "Lovefield and his partner at the time dealt in the early 90s involving the deaths of nearly twenty men."

"Oh my God," JJ announced. "Tied to a chair and tortured until the unsub shot him in the head… that's exactly how Lovefield died."

Morgan looked up, stunned, "How come you didn't mention this before, Reid?"

He didn't answer at first, a little ashamed he hadn't. "Sometimes my brain goes on autopilot… I noticed the connection, but I was already set to look for clues that matched him with Klein or Winslow… sometimes when I get like that, I can't stop."

Emily couldn't help but smile, having definite proof how focused his mind could get when there was a task at hand. She quickly suppressed it before the others took notice.

But they seemed too focused on what the young man had to say. "Now I'm starting to think if that's the way we should go… look into each of the old cases and compare what's similar about the deaths. There has to be a clue why the unsub chose such a particular death… and that could lead us as to why he chose these victims."

"I guess that means we're back at square one, then." Garcia said with despondence. "Are we sure there's no other task I could be doing right now?"

"Since we don't know what to search, we can't use your expertise at the moment, Garcia." Hotch explained, grabbing the file Reid presented. "We need your extra set of eyes if we're going to get through this."

"I know that," She grumbled, opening her top file again. Her stack was considerably smaller than Reid's or even Morgan's, but it was still a lot to comb through, especially a second time. "I'm just starting to realize how much I truly hate paper."

Getting to his feet, Reid hurried over to the white board. His mind was buzzing so loud, he swore the others could hear it. He needed to get these thoughts down. "I'm going to start making a list of the clues and try to connect them to theories."

"If Reid is right, I'd say finding a victim to connect the dots with Winslow would be the best use of our time." Rossi said. "It'll narrow the notions down. Although, first I'd say we could all use a break. Let's all stretch our legs and grab some coffee and meet back here in twenty."

The others agreed, but Emily knew she wouldn't be returning. In fact, it seemed her time was immediately cut short, seeing a person she'd seen enter this office only once before.

"Sorry, guys," Emily muttered, obviously reluctant to have to leave. Even sitting in here with an endless pile of paperwork was better time spent than having to endure a few hours with her mother. "I guess it's time for me to leave."

Hotch glanced over Rossi's head, looking out the window. Sure enough, there stood the ambassador, looking like her usual assertive self. "Are you sure you don't want me to talk to her? I could easily get you out of it?"

"I'll have to do this soon or later." Emily shrugged, the others standing with her, eager for a break. Reid barely broke his concentration, hardly aware there was a conversation going on right behind him. "I'd rather just get it over with, but I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"I'll leave you a message. Depending on where we get tonight, we might just need a day to step away from this." Hotch said. Even he needed to stretch his back. "I'll leave you a message to let you know."

"Tell the ambassador we said 'Hi'." Morgan teased, letting Rossi head out first, not wanting to pass up the chance to give his partner a cheeky grin.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that." She muttered, sounded perturbed, but giving a small smile. Emily pulled on her coat, pulling her hair out from getting caught under the collar. "Good luck guys."

Considering his focus, she didn't believe he heard her and Emily was not about to disturb him. It surprised her when he turned and met her eyes, giving her a small smile.

"I hope you have a good night, Em," He said kindly. Unlike Morgan, unlike the others, he didn't pity her. He genuinely hoped she'd enjoy herself, that this wouldn't destroy her self-esteem and send her into a bottle of tequila. And that couldn't happen this time… thanks to the last bottle of tequila she went through.

"Thanks, Reid," She said, feeling a bit more confident.

It didn't matter what happened with her mother. She just had to get through it, and when it was done, she'd get to be with him. Rossi had already agreed by 8 o'clock, he'd suggest everyone would go home and get some rest. By then, no one would deny him. She'd meet him at his apartment as planned… and tell him everything. By dawn's early light, they'd have this whole new world to share. It was scary and a uncertain… but it was theirs, and it would be wonderful.

Reid went back to his work and Emily glanced out the window where Rossi was introducing himself to her mother. It was just a couple of hours, and it would be so worth it in the end.

"'Night, guys." Emily called, and headed out. The sooner she left, the sooner she'd be back in her lover's arms, and celebrating their new baby.

* * *

Rossi couldn't help but chuckle at Morgan's comment. One of the great things about this team, always helping each other out of the toughest situations, even if it was just to give the others a smile. He loved these people, although he'd never admit that. It was just understood.

His thoughts were centered on a steaming cup of coffee. That could help him through the next few hours. It would be no trouble convincing the others to leave at eight, if they even made it that long. Energy was running low and attention spans were getting shorter and shorter. By the time the hour struck, there'd be a foot race to the door.

As he walked across the catwalk, heading to the break room, Rossi suddenly stopped in his tracks. He'd been having trouble focusing today, completely distracted by the whirlwind he'd gotten caught in last night. For a moment, he thought he was imagining it, wishing he was somewhere else. Anywhere, as long as he was with her… but no, there she was… standing right in the middle of the bull pen.

"Lizzie?" Rossi cried at the top of the steps.

The ambassador was instantly startled. She hadn't gone by that name in so long, pulling it out of a long retirement just last night. Looking across the crowded room, her eyes met the familiar pair. The ones that had made her weak in the knees last night at the hotel bar.

"David," She cried, shocked. She couldn't believe he was here. How was that possible?

He voiced it before she could. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…" was her first response. She had the perfect reason for being here, but what about him? It took a moment to get her head back on track, but she gathered her composure, taking a step towards him. "I'm here to take my daughter to lunch, what are you doing here?"

It suddenly occurred to him they hadn't exchanged career information, or much else for that matter. Once that first kiss struck, it opened a flood gate and neither cared about the personal stuff. They just wanted something real, even if it was just for one night. Only night hadn't been enough. After breakfast this morning, they made plans to meet for dinner later in the week, once their schedules could be aligned.

Two and two were coming together in Rossi's mind. He slowly walked down the steps towards the woman, feeling like she was a completely different soul inside the woman who made his heart pound like no woman before.

"You're Ambassador Prentiss, aren't you?" He questioned, a little surprised there was a crack in his voice, like a prepubescent teen.

"And you," She knew said slowly, "are David Rossi… my daughter told me about you."

He wasn't sure what to do. One look at her told her she didn't either. She was looking at him with fear and worry and anger. Not at him, but the situation. There wasn't an easy solution out of this, not one they would want anyway.

They both had a thousand things to say and no way to let it out. This wasn't something that would just magically go away. They couldn't go back in time and take back last night. Even if he could, Rossi didn't want to. In fact, judging by how many times he pictured her in his mind today, he wanted to go back and relive it over and over again. And she looked even more beautiful than he remembered.

Before either could say anything, even a proper hello, they were interrupted. "Mother," Emily cried, more enthusiastically than she thought she would be. "It's good to see you."

Years as a diplomat had trained the elder Prentiss to hide her emotions at the most inconvenient times. As far as her daughter was concerned, she didn't suspect a thing.

"You as well, Dear." She said kindly. "Ready for lunch? I got us reservations at The Lemonti Room."

She loved that place. Reid had taken her there on her birthday. She just hoped her mother wouldn't ruin that memory for her. That might be a lost cause though, considering her mother always seemed to be disrupting her life's plans. Who knew where she would interfere next, although she had a pretty good idea. If only there was a way she didn't have to tell her about the pregnancy.

But it didn't have to be tonight, or anytime soon. She'd wait until the woman was out of the country again. "Mother," she pleasantly, stepping over to Rossi and tugged him closer. He was reluctant. He tried not to struggle against her, but he couldn't let her be suspicious. "I don't think you met Agent Rossi. He replaced Agent Gideon a few years ago."

"Right," her mother shook her head, meeting his eyes. "I don't believe we've met before. David, right?"

Years on the job had taught the man expert manipulation techniques. He shoved his anxieties and attractions down and put on his usual charm. "That's right… I'm certain we haven't met … I certainly would have remembered you, Ambassador, or can I call you something else?"

He saw her blush as she took his offered hand, shaking it warmly with a firm grasp. She had the urge to hang onto his clasp, wanting to stay by his side. Elizabeth had been thinking about him all day, staring at her cell phone like a silly teenage girl. She wasn't even obsessed over a man calling when she was so young, when she did have man banging down her door to take her out. She'd never met a guy like him before.

"Elizabeth's fine," She said, smiling somewhat professionally, yet there was a hint of flirtation there.

Emily rolled her eyes. The man never stopped, even with a woman he had no chance with. "We'd better be going, I'm all set, Mother. Rossi, you said you'll need me back by eight, right?"

She was speaking in code and Rossi knew. He knew Emily needed him, but it was more important to get his point across to Elizabeth. He couldn't go for days on end without discussing this.

"Actually," Rossi said, immediately getting a stunned and bothered expression from the younger girl. "I think we'll be finished here by eight. The rest of the evening is your own. We'll all be needing a break by then. Besides, I have plans tonight."

She was confused by that. He never mentioned anything like that earlier. "Plans? What plans?"

Elizabeth, however, caught his eye and immediately understood. 8 o'clock; it wasn't that far away. "Emily, we're wasting Agent Rossi's time. He needs to get back to work and we have to make our reservation." She flashed him a smile. "Nice to meet you, Agent."

"Likewise, Ambassador." He muttered politely. Even giving a bit of a bow. He watched as the mother and daughter headed out to the elevator. He waited for Elizabeth to glance over her shoulder. Just one more time. One more time to meet his eyes and try to hear everything he wanted to say in just a glance. But she never looked back. Not once.

* * *

A/N: I did a lot of searching and rewatched a lot of episodes, while I know they'd talked about her mother, I don't think there's ever been a mention that Rossi and the ambassador ever met. If they did, I'm sorry, I definitely missed it, but for the sake of the story, this is how they met.

I hope you guys liked the new twist. While some people mentioned the strange woman, no one predicted who she was. I thought doing a relationship with Rossi and Elizabeth would be exciting, and unexpected, and good secondary romance. I hope you guys like it, and I know you're all anxious as to when Reid is going to find out. All I can say is we're getting there. You guys know I try not to let you down! :)


	9. The Elephant in the Room

Dinner had been nothing short of depressing. Elizabeth and her daughter made as much small talk as they could to fill up the few hours, both incredibly thankful when the food arrived. It seemed the only time they had any meaningful discussion is when Emily asked if anything was wrong. In fact, she seemed genuinely concerned for her mother. Elizabeth didn't know what to say. It had been so against her character to spend the night with a stranger in the bar, she had no idea what came over her. It was just her luck the man was the same one to work at the BAU, that her daughter mentioned on several occasions and always seemed so fond of. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Because she couldn't stop thinking about him. Even now, when she knew who he was… David Rossi, she kept thinking rather dreamily… he consumed her every thought. How would Emily feel if she knew about this? She'd hate her… more than she already did.

Her thoughts were getting away from her again. As she removed her shoes at the foot of her bed, her hands came up to undo the top button of her blouse, letting the warmed air hit her skin. She sighed with relief as her hand came up, lightly massaging the stress out of her neck, unable to stop imagining it was his fingers touching her, his breath against her hot skin, his lips just inches away from her flesh.

Elizabeth gasped as a knock sounded on her door, her eyes popping open. She came back to reality, looking around her hotel room. The clock radio on the bedside table read it was 8:05, and there was a guest at her door.

She didn't bother putting her heels back on, nor redoing her shirt button. Quickly, she whisked to the door, checking through the view finder in order to confirm her suspicions.

There he was. Her heartbeat quickened at just the sight of him. She had to remain calm, though. Elizabeth had a feeling tonight was not going to go well.

Opening the door, she found Rossi waiting patiently. At once, he gave a smile, but it appeared a bit restrained. Although he was happy to see her, he wasn't at all happy as to why.

"Hi," He said kindly.

"Hi," Elizabeth replied, unable to recall the last time she could be so informal with a man. "Thanks for coming."

"Well, I was going to be in the neighborhood." He shrugged. "May I come in?"

Even though she had stood aside to allow him entrance, he still asked permission first. He was such a gentleman, and the world was lacking in those these days.

"Please," she said, her hand escorting him in. Rossi stepped into the bedroom, looking just as he remembered it from this morning. Tidy now. The sheets had been changed by the maid service, the blankets tucked perfectly. A vacuum had been run over this floor and their dirty towels from their steamy shower were replaced with fresh ones in the bathroom. Fluffy and pastel raspberry, just like the décor.

Just shy of the bed, Rossi turned to her. The ambassador carefully closed them in, almost like she knew it was against the rules. Like a teenager who was given strict orders to keep the bedroom door wide open… when a boy came to call.

"Well," Rossi cleared his throat after the door clicked closed. "Do you feel as awkward as I do?"

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh. At least he was brave enough to call attention to it. "Yes… how about I get you a drink to relieve the tension a bit?"

"I won't say not to that." He retorted enthusiastically.

Heading over to the mini bar, not noticing how Rossi's eyes grazed up and down her stocking legs, right up to the gentle curve under the business skirt, she pulled out a small bottle of scotch and started putting some ice in a glass. "I have to say, when I came back to DC, I never expected anything like this to happen."

"If I had any idea who you were," Rossi urged seriously, "I would have introduced myself properly. I had no idea you might be Emily's mother… and you're so young."

"I'm not that young." Elizabeth shook her head, handing him his glass. "I'll be 60 at the end of the year."

That was only 19 years older than Emily. He never mentioned her mother had her young. Then again, what Rossi knew about either of her parents could fit in the palm of his hand. He wondered how much even Reid knew.

"I knew Emily's mother was in town, but I never suspected you'd be staying in a hotel. I was the under the impression you had a house here in Washington." He explained.

"Oh, well, that…" She grimaced, not sure if she wanted to go into this story with a man she hardly knew. It had been her intent to tell Emily tonight; it was why she'd been so concerned on meeting with her as soon as possible. After being hit with such a bombshell this afternoon, however, she couldn't bring herself to admit this, either.

"That's a long story." Elizabeth finally announced.

Rossi nodded, understanding. It was none of his business and he didn't press the subject further. Elizabeth thought quickly of another topic, unwilling to bring the matter at hand to light. As soon as they did, they both knew what would follow.

"Emily always speak very kindly of you." She smiled. "She says you were the founder of the BAU, back in the 80s?"

"Late 80s." He clarified a bit before taking a drink. Smooth. "I left the FBI for about ten years in 1997, then when Agent Jason Gideon retired, I offered to come back and rejoin the team."

"Agent Gideon," Elizabeth muttered, the name ringing a bell. "Yes, I remember him, when I brought a delicate matter to the FBI for help… he must not have stayed too long after that."

"He didn't," Rossi shook his head. "But, as our technical analyst says, everything happens for a reason… there are times when there's truth in that, I think."

Elizabeth couldn't help but be hopeful at that statement. She noticed how his eyes never met hers as they spoke. He just looked around, taking in the room, his eyes noticing everything but her.

They were keeping their distance as well. Both were almost afraid to get too close, like their bodies would get caught in the gravitational pull that neither would be strong enough to stop.

Enough was enough, though. They couldn't stand here forever. Bracing herself, Elizabeth at last called attention to giant elephant in the room.

"David… I just want you to know, I enjoyed last night immensely." She declared, her face unable to stop breaking into a breathless smile.

Rossi returned it, possibly even more radiant than hers. "Me, too. It was wonderful, Lizzie."

She had to catch herself from letting out a delightful gasp. He was still calling her Lizzie. She prayed he'd never stop.

"It's just been so long since I felt so connected to another man, so infatuated." She was practically gushing, moving ever so slowly closer to him. They were just a few feet from each other. He could even smell her perfume; sweet yet sophisticated. He wanted to smother himself in that smell.

Rossi grinned his charming smile at her. A smile that had won over the hearts of many women for a night's time. "I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but… before last night, it had been quite some time since I shared the company of another."

"Don't be ashamed… it had been over a year for me." She confessed, blushing a little.

"You couldn't even tell, you were so poised and… confident… you were radiating beauty, I couldn't resist you, Lizzie. You were incredible…" and at that, his gorgeous smile faded. His expression suddenly sullen and sad. "But… we both know we can't do this."

He guided her to sit on the bed, watching as her nylon legs wrapped around themselves. She sat like a perfect lady, and while she was beautiful, he couldn't help but ache at how sad she suddenly appeared.

"I have to admit, I was expecting this." She muttered, swallowing hard, trying to convey she was compassionate to his decision. "It's a conflict of interest."

"It's not, Lizzie," He urged, and with that reached over and took her hand. He squeezed it warmly and both suddenly felt comforted. By just a simple touch.

"You don't like me as much as you thought this morning?" She suggested. That would hurt worse, but it would be easier to comprehend than parting because of protocol.

"No!" He cried. That was the farthest from the truth. "It's Emily… I can't do this to Emily. Elizabeth," he cleared his throat, wanting to say this as straight forward as possible. "I want you to know how much I love your daughter, I could never do this to her."

Confused, and greatly bothered. "You… you love _my_ daughter?"

"Not in a romantic way!" He corrected at once. "It's more in a parental way, I think. I want to congratulate you on the incredible daughter you raised. She's amazing, Lizzie, you should be proud. She's warm and loving and brave and has this brilliant spirit. I've never had a friend like her. Some of the best times I've had in the last six years have been with her. Emily coming into my life was something I really needed. I adore her."

He didn't believe she'd be put off or offended by that, but he never expected the ambassador would look so overjoyed at that. "David… I had no idea you and Emily were so close."

The last words dripped with bitter disdain, but Rossi glossed over it, continuing his thought. "That's why we can't continue… I can't betray my friend like that."

Hanging her head a bit, Elizabeth breathed slowly. This was not the way she wanted this to go, but it wasn't unforeseen. "I expected this tonight, and… you're absolutely right. I can't say I'd know how Emily would respond, but she's always been determined to keep her world with me and the world she lives in separate. Ever since she was a little girl… she's wanted to have a life of her own. I always loved how independent she was. I don't think there was a day she ever needed me."

Rossi could think of a day, but he wouldn't dare contradict her. Elizabeth Prentiss was to go to her grave never knowing about that. Emily wanted it that way.

"I could never jeopardize Emily's career like this. Last night had been an honest mistake, but now we know better."

Putting on a mock frown, Rossi shrugged. "A mistake, huh?"

Elizabeth burst out with laughter and his heart suddenly skipped. Her laugh was so beautiful, and so much like Emily's, he realized now.

"I just met the committing of the act… not the act itself." Her other hand came over as she smirked and lightly stroked his thigh. "There was nothing wrong about that. In fact, that was about as right as I could ever remember."

"Well," Rossi gave a prideful smile, both knowing that pink in his cheeks was not because of the warmth of the room, "thank you, my dear.

"Regardless, however, as much as I'd like to do it again – and again – we just can't. I knew that before you said it. We have to look at the whole picture, it's the adult thing to do."

In agreement, Rossi nodded, staring down in the amber liquid in his glass. He'd hadn't taken a drink since his first sip and lifted it for another small one. "I do know that, as much as we need to forget about what happened, I think you and I would get along well… is there any way you and I can remain friends, Lizzie?"

She grinned happily. "I'd like that, David. It would be nice to have someone to talk to, who's not spending time with me just to advance their career."

"Wonderful," He took one more sip before standing up. Sitting next on the edge of a bed, so close to that gorgeous woman wafting him in that heavenly perfume, it was the prologue to a bad decision. "As such, the hour is late and I've been working all day, so I'd better be getting home. But… how about we have dinner later in the week?"

"That sounds lovely," She said, standing up, trying to ignore the pain in her heart. The burning in her stomach that made her feel like she was going to be sick. She couldn't believe she was just going to let him go. "I know your schedule's hectic, so… why don't you give me a call when an evening's open for you."

"I will do that." He put his glass on the small round table, lingering just a moment to stare into the ice that was melting into what was left of the liquor. He had to go… but he didn't want to go…

He started heading towards the door. Always the hostess, Elizabeth walked him the short distance, wanting desperately to pull him back. This was for the sake of her daughter. If she kept reminding herself that, she could get through this.

She opened the door for him and Rossi turned to her, giving her one last smile. "Have a goodnight, Lizzie."

"You, too." She answered softly, her voice so hollow.

Perhaps he should have just walked out, and spent the rest of his life regretting his decision to walk away. But he was always the gentleman, and couldn't step out without proper goodbye. He leaned down to press a delicate kiss on her soft cheek.

Before he could pull away, Emily did the same. Her plump, tender lips pressing lovingly against his skin.

As she returned his kiss, the floodgates were instantly opened. Rossi couldn't have stopped himself if he tried. He moved barely an inch to make contact with her lips, kissing her passionately and properly.

Elizabeth was neither surprised nor angered by his impulsive move. Instantly, she matched his rhythm, one arm wrapping around him, her other hand running into his thick salt and pepper hair. In a rush, Rossi shoved her against the wall while kicking the door closed with his foot, everything they had just agreed on shut out in the hall.

He heard her murmur with enjoyment as he moved down to kiss her neck, right on the tender spot she'd been massaging earlier. His lips had a much more soothing effect than her own hands did.

All she could do was cling to him, shivering at the feel of his hands caressing along her curves as his lips roamed over her, tracking along her neckline, cutting across her collar bone. He stood straight again, meeting her eyes made of the purest milk chocolate, swirling with fire as she smiled. He immediately matched it.

They kissed again, knowing anything they needed to decide wouldn't be discussed until the morning. Tonight was just for them. With that freeing thought, Rossi pulled her to him forcefully, holding her gorgeous body against his as he easily lead her to the bed. Elizabeth kissed against his ear and down to the crook of his neck, humming with delight at the taste of his skin. They barely knew each other, they'd hardly just embarked on a night of passion, yet already their harmony was perfect. Like they'd know each other all their lives.

* * *

Reading was usually his favorite pastime, but tonight Reid couldn't focus. Everyone was told to take the rest of the weekend off, try to get the case out of their minds and they'd start fresh on Monday. Hopefully they'd be given permission by then. If anything serious happened, Hotch would call at once. For now, he was just to relax… but how could he?

Reid couldn't get the case out of his head. Each word from every file flew inside his head like it was infested with flies. There were so many clues from every victim that could connect the victims to their agents' deaths. JJ found the case where teen girls were bound, raped, and tortured by an unsub. Unfortunately, she yet to partner up with Agent Klein, so it didn't explain why he was on the run… unless he was involved. Not to mention, Lovefield was never involved with that case. Reid doubted that case ever crossed Lovefield's unit. And the case that matched Lovefield's death, it was impossible to connect Winslow to. She hadn't even been born yet.

Why these deaths? Why would this new unsub choose to become a copycat to two random cases. There was only one answer… it wasn't random.

And what did Klein know? What made him so afraid he took off so suddenly, he barely packed a bag and left his badge and gun behind?

A knock on the door startled him. Glancing at the clock on the wall, ticking softly in the quiet apartment. It was almost 9 o'clock. He hadn't even noticed Emily was running late.

He tossed his book onto the coffee table, pushing the murders from his mind for the time being. He wasn't going to let anything distract him. This was the first time he got to be alone with Emily in days, and they had the whole day tomorrow. He wanted to savor every moment.

He rushed to the door, opening it without even a check through the peephole. Sure enough, there she stood in wait for him. At once, he could see something was bothering her. She was easier to read than his favorite books. While she smiled, pleased to see him, her face was so pale and her eyes were shifty. He wondered if lunch had gone worse than she suspected.

He also noticed the go bag on her shoulder. "Planning an overnighter?" He grinned.

She laughed, "Well, Sergio won't even know I'm gone with his automatic feeder filled. I've got nowhere else I want to be. Mind letting me crash here?"

As if he ever wanted her to leave. With a smile, he reached out to her, pulling her into a loving kiss. Emily sighed happily, instantly feeling her legs turn to pudding. For a moment, she forgot everything. She forgot her mother and her sullen attitude all through dinner, she forgot she was pregnant and certainly forgot she was about to tell him about it. It was just her and Spencer. Kissing and madly in love… why couldn't life always be this perfect?

When they parted, she clutched to the soft fibers of her sweater. "I'd call that a big yes."

Reid laugh, his arm wrapping around her middle. "Come on, you must be tired. Tell me all about your horrible lunch, you'll feel better."

Honestly, it hadn't been as bad as she thought. What bothered her was how quiet her mother was. Normally, the elder Prentiss was grilling her on so many aspects of her life. From her career to her love life to the disappointment that she never took the path always planned for her. Not this time. She was just quiet. The ambassador didn't even notice her daughter's beverage consisted only of water. One of her favorite topics was suggesting Emily drank too much wine. Something wasn't right.

Her theory was it had something to do with the mystery lover. Emily didn't know how to bring up the subject, seeing as how she wasn't too open about it this morning. Something must have gone wrong between the two, but at least that wasn't her fault. How could it be?

"How about some wine?" Reid suggested as he closed the door, heading over towards the swinging door of the kitchen. "We could watch a movie in bed or maybe take a bubble bath? We still have that eucalyptus stuff you bought for Valentine's Day."

"No," Emily replied without any thought. She set her bag down and went over to the couch. "No, that's okay."

He stopped in his tracks. That was odd. Emily always loved a glass of red wine after a stressful day. Something was wrong.

"Are you alright?" He asked, stepping closer to her.

She looked at him in panic. Did he suspect something? "I'm fine…" She said, her voice shaking a bit. She had to do this; Emily couldn't put it off anymore. "Why would you think… think otherwise?"

"Emily, if there's a problem, you need to tell me." Reid corrected, his hands resting on the back of the couch. "You haven't been yourself for a week now. You've been tired and forgetful and you've been getting sick all the time, including this morning… yes, you think I didn't hear you, but I did." He added in response to her shocked expression. "This might be serious… maybe you need to see a doctor."

"I don't need to see a doctor, Spencer," Emily corrected, urging him to see she was doing alright. "Here… why don't you sit with me and we'll talk."

Now Reid was the nervous one, unsure what she could possibly want to talk about. Slowly, tentatively, like a child would who was about to get in trouble, he moved over to the front of the couch. He hesitated nearly half a minute before he took the seat on the sofa, right beside her.

She reached over to take his hands, trying to comfort him as well as calm herself. This shouldn't be so hard. It was just two little words. Why couldn't she just say them?

"Look, Spencer," Emily said, giving him a warm smile. She'd never seen Reid so fearful, and she wondered if perhaps he thought she was about to break up with him. "We've been through a lot together."

"Yes," Reid agreed. His voice was so small. "We have."

"And we've known each other a long time. Six years… I think in that time we've built a really solid connection. That's part of why I love you so much." She let out a nervous giggle as she shook her head. "It's so unreal it took such a traumatic event for me to see that you are the one I want to spend my life with. It should have been obvious all along. I can trust you like I've never been able to with another… I love you so much and I can't imagine my life without you."

Reid knew she was leading up to something. He'd go almost as far to predict she was about to propose. Emily was an impulsive woman and the idea that only a man could proposition marriage was archaic, and he was sure she'd agree. Perhaps that was why she was suggesting they come out to the team. While his anxiety couldn't be extinguished, it was to a much lesser degree and if his prediction were correct… well, he knew what he would say.

"I know," Reid smiled. "I went through six years of pain longing for you… but I'd go through it all again knowing this is what we have. I love you more than anything."

That was what she needed to hear to push her forward. "My life is so much better since you became a part of it… you feel the same way, don't you?"

"Of course, I do." He smiled, squeezing the hand that already had him clasped. As much as he loved hearing her gush her feelings to him, he wanted her to get to the point. Just so he would know. "What is this about, Emily?"

Her heart was pounding so hard, she almost couldn't speak. Her stomach was churning, a wave of morning sickness always coming through right before bed. Her voice shaking, she continued, "I know you're too smart to believe in Fate, and I never put much stock into hokum like that. There are no guarantees about the future, but I believe… I'm almost certain, that we will share a wonderful life together."

His face shined a bit pink as he asked happily, "Really?"

"Yes," She nodded. "And… it's all going to start now."

Excited and frightened at the same time, Reid questioned, "What do you mean? What are you saying?"

"Spencer," she finally stated. Her heart thumped inside her like a samba. Taking one more deep breath to keep from passing out, she at last revealed the truth. "I'm pregnant."

His smile instantly faded, his jaw dropping in bewilderment. He was completely shocked… and from the lack of twinkle in his usually so vibrant eyes, Emily could tell it wasn't in a good way.

For a long time, he said nothing. In fact, he didn't move at all. Like time had frozen right in that moment. Emily didn't know what to say to fix this. All she could do was wait and let him process the news.

Slowly, he turned away. He all but yanked his hand out of hers, covering his mouth with it. His eyes were nearly bulging out of his head as he stared across the room toward the fireplace.

He wasn't reacting nearly as she had hoped. Sure, she expected some surprise, but a lot of time was moving on and he was just sitting there… staring.

Emily said in a voice just above a whisper, "Spencer… say something… please."

After another length of silence, he shook his head, his hand falling away. "What do you expect me to say? Congratulations?" He looked in her direction. His eyes hard and cold like she'd just revealed she'd never really loved him at all. Getting to his feet, he turned his back to her as he added, "It doesn't really seem like the time for celebrating."

She let out a scoff. "I have to disagree." She said, putting the smile back on her face. "This is a joyous time, Sweetheart. Sure, we have a lot to figure out and this is happening a lot sooner than we planned or even hoped, but… it is a time to be happy. We should enjoy it before things get complicated."

Reid couldn't agree to that. His head was filled with so many things, it ached to even try to think right now. His whole body felt like it had been hit with a Mack truck.

"Things are complicated. And what do mean, who's to say this was something we planned?" He demanded to know, turning to her. "We never talked about having children… how could you even think I would want them?"

He should have thought his words through better. He had meant as to mean she wasn't considerate. That she just assumed the things she wanted were the same as his desires, without even a discussion. Instead, it sounded like he didn't want children at all, that he didn't want to have a family with her. And that's exactly how Emily took it.

She hung her head a bit. Maybe she had been naive. Maybe she had wanted this so badly, that she wanted so desperately for a different life – a better life – than she had before him that she wouldn't let herself consider an alternative.

Reid ran his hands through his hair in frustration, desperate to figure this out as fast as possible. "Well… I guess we'll have to get married now."

With a roll of her eyes, she glared at him. "Don't sound so enthused, Dear."

She sprang out of her seat, turning from him as well. She wasn't so sure what was going to happen, but she knew she couldn't stay here.

"Emily!" Reid yelled. "We're not ready to have a child! We haven't even been together that long. And in a world like this, who would believe bringing a child into it would be a good idea?"

Emily exclaimed, "That's a horrible reason not to have a child. It's not like we planned this, it just… happened!"

A silence followed as Reid considered that. He studied her intently a moment, emotions spinning behind his eyes.

"I'm not sure that's entirely truthful." He responded. He did some quick math, trying to think back to the pinpointed date. "If my memory serves, and it nearly always does… I believe I can deduce when it happened. Approximately two months ago… after that case in Indianapolis. Wasn't it you, Emily, who got me drunk? Who insisted we make love in the living room instead of going upstairs to where we had access to protection?"

Emily was even more blown away than Reid had been at learning the news. "You don't honestly believe I would get pregnant on purpose?"

He shrugged, speaking calmly. His face holding her gaze with a knowing expression. "It wouldn't be the first time you manipulated me. If you wanted a baby, wouldn't it be the easiest way?"

"How dare you!" She shrieked, so loud she was sure she was disturbing the neighbors. "You cannot put all the blame on me! How could you believe I would trick you! I would never… do anything to-" The words choked her, her throat squeezing tight as tears stung her. Gathering herself, she met his gaze with piercing darkened eyes. "I love you and I thought you loved me, why would I feel the need to trap you!?"

"A means to an end?" Reid wondered. "You wanted a baby and you felt it would be the easiest way, instead of trying to convince me. It's as simple as that."

"Love doesn't work like that!" She pointed out, her fury burning inside her like her blood had reached boiling. "I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you… at least I did. Now that I'm seeing you in this new light, I'm not so sure."

Reid stood with his arms out, allowing her to get a full view of him. "This is who I've always been. Children have never been a part of my plans and if you even considered I could be different, than you have to live with that mistake!"

That was it. Emily couldn't even look at him. She was so angry, she wanted to spit, how dare he do this to her, turn his back on her and their unborn child.

Grabbing her bag, she shook her head. "You're scared! You're acting like a coward because you're not ready to take responsibility for what we've done! Well, guess what, Spencer, this is happening! We are having a baby! If you don't want it, than you don't want me! Let me know what you decide!"

"Emily!" He cried as she rushed towards the door. "You can't leave!"

Whipping open the door, she looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Don't you dare tell me what to do! I can't even look at you right now! Why don't you call me when you grow up!"

She dashed into the hall without another word, the door slamming behind her just as he cried out her name in a desperate attempt to stop her. Alone in the hall, Emily froze.

So this was it. The big moment, when she revealed to Spencer they were going to be a family. Their whole lives had turned upside down in a matter of moments… and suddenly, even if they hadn't come to a decision, Emily felt like what they had, everything they shared… was over.

She lost him, and all she'd ever have was this beautiful baby to remind her of the only man she truly loved. It wasn't fair. Why, once, couldn't everything just… work?

She couldn't stay here, though. Emily hurried down the hall. Hitting the button for the elevator, she waited, wondering what would happen next. She wasn't sure what hurt more. The horrible things Spencer said or the fact that he never came after her.

The elevator arrived with a chime and Emily stepped in, pressing to head to the lobby. When the doors slid close, she lost it. The tears started to come, gushing over her cheeks like a flooded stream, she leaned against the wall, sinking to the cold linoleum floor. Her head against the wall, her hands slid down to her stomach to where her precious child slept. Emily had such different views of how tonight would turn out, and while she had not been certain… she never expected she and her baby would be going into that cold night. Alone.

Inside, Reid felt his world fall apart as soon as the door slammed closed. He wanted to run after her. His head screamed at his body to respond, to run out there and catch her and beg his forgiveness, but he couldn't process this. It was too much to handle tonight.

Slowly, he stepped to the door. His fingertips landed on the doorknob, unable to bring himself to turn it. His mind was swimming as he rested his brow against the wood. He had no idea how to handle this.

A baby. He knew that he loved Emily, and he remembered their conversation from many years ago… the first time he ever wanted a child.

_Garcia would call at any moment, hopefully with the results they needed. Until then, Reid's mind was free, taking the chance to wander a bit… trying not to focus too much on the woman across from him. A vision in red._

_JJ was in the next room. She was getting along in her pregnancy. Moving around was always such a chore to her, especially today. The baby was kicking a lot today, she had told him. Reid had felt it himself and it incredibly bothered him. How could she stand feeling that constantly. Like some alien was living inside her… yet she didn't look bothered or troubled by it. Genuinely, despite how tired she was and the stress on her body, JJ was all too happy to have her baby boy inside her. He couldn't make sense of such an anomaly._

"_You considering it?" Emily startled him as she spoke, interrupting his thoughts._

_Confused, Reid turned to her. She was looking at him quizzically, almost amusedly. "What?" He wondered, never suspecting she'd been watching him as he'd been admiring JJ._

_She partly smiled, "Having baby geniuses someday?"_

_Babies? Children? Reid could never see himself as a father. He hadn't seen his own father in seventeen years, how was he to know he wouldn't make the same mistake? Not to mention he was awkward and abnormal and carried a history of mental disease in his family. Even if there were someone who wanted his children, he'd be playing Russian Roulette with his DNA. Poker was more his game._

_He was saved from an answer when the phone rang. Garcia had come to his rescue, but that didn't stop his fantasy from forming, unlike any he had had before._

_He could see Emily. Beautiful Emily with her sparkling eyes and perfect smile. In her arms she held a little boy. An adorable little toddler, barely able to talk, clinging to her like she was the most important person in the world. To him, of course, he was. He looked so much like Reid, right down to the hazel eyes and chestnut brown hair. The only difference would be his smile… exactly like his mother's. Beautiful and compelling, lighting up the entire world around him. Emily hugged him tight, pressing kisses to top of his little head. Her eyes filled with so much love and adoration for that little child… their child._

_He wasn't just considering it, he knew. He'd love to have a baby genius one day, especially if it got to be with her. It was useless to dream, though… not of things that would never happen._

Walking slowly to his couch, Reid sat down. He covered his face with his hands, his whole body was shaking in fear. The dream of having a baby with Emily was wonderful, but in reality, was it really a good idea? He didn't know how to be a father. His parents had abandoned him. Literally by his father, figuratively by his mother. Reid had practically raised himself… and now he was expected to raise a child? What if he felt overwhelmed, too? What if he tried and just lost his confidence… what if believed his only solution was to run away? Just thinking about hurting Emily like that broke his heart.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. He was trying to breathe, but he felt like his head was in a plastic bag. The walls of this apartment were closing him in. He had to get out of here, and fast.

Grabbing his cardigan, Reid hurried to the door, forgetting protocol by bringing his badge and gun. He didn't want to be weighed down. Right now, he needed to be free.

* * *

Hotch wasn't going to be here much longer. Jack was no doubt already in bed, and Jessica hadn't minded staying late to watch him, but he needed to get home. Besides, there wasn't much left he could do.

Hopefully, they'd have full permission to investigate on Monday. They needed access to the evidence and reports in order to make a full assessment. Though he had to admit, Reid might be on to something with the unsub being a copycat. It didn't make sense he would copy two different killers, though. In all his years in the BAU, he'd only seen a killer like that once. But he was copying famous killers, trying to perfect his own MO. This unsub seemed more like he was making a statement. The question was, what?

They would figure it out, but it would have to wait until Monday morning. As much as he hated to walk away, Hotch needed a break just like the others. He needed a good night's sleep, a real breakfast, and a relaxing day with his son. Tossing the last file back onto the desk, he officially accepted defeat for the time being.

Standing up, he stretched his back, letting out a thankful groan. He couldn't wait to get home, check on his son while he slept before crawling into bed. Perhaps he'd take Jack to the park tomorrow. They could play soccer, he'd like that. Time with his son seemed to be cut short lately. They could use a day together.

His cell phone buzzed as he gave a yawn, humming against the surface of the wood. Everything in Hotch's mind screamed for him not to answer. At nearly 9:30 at night, it couldn't be any form of good news. He had a duty, however. Who knew, it could be just Strauss giving them the okay to move forward.

It wasn't. "Agent Hotchner." He said as he answered.

He listened carefully as a field agent from Ohio solemnly greeted him. The good news was their search for Agent Klein was over… the bad news was, there was no chance to get any information out of him.

"Where was he found?" Hotch questioned, waiting for the answer. He felt a disgusted knot form in his stomach at the news, unsure who could have done something so depraved.

Then again, he thought, odds are there was evidence that someone had committed such a disconcerting murder. In fact, he probably did it several times, and this killer was just mimicking his acts.

"No," Hotch replied, "Once the body's exhumed, we need it transported to DC. The autopsy needs to be performed here. All evidence of the crime scene needs sent here as well…" He paused for a moment, listening. "Alright, thank you. I'll expect to be informed when everything's on route. Thank you, agent."

Hotch ended the call and let out a sigh. He continued in the process of going home, knowing there wasn't anything he could do here alone until at least the evidence of Klein's murder arrived. Although there was little hope he'd get any rest and relaxation now.


	10. In the Shadows

After stepping out of the elevator, Emily seemed to go on autopilot, her mind not resurfacing until she got home. Somehow, she managed to drive back to her building and let herself in the front door, tossing her things aside once she was safely. She was lethargic and emotionally exhausted, having no other thought but to get up to bed. She didn't even have time to lock the door before her queasiness began to take control. Holding back a heave, she rushed to the stairs to hurry to the second floor, dashing into the main bathroom where she buried her face in the toilet.

The next few hours were spent kneeling on the cold tiled floor, between bouts of vomiting, she let her tears fall. They were silent, almost like she were too sad to even sob.

Her house felt so cold tonight. It didn't even feel like a home without him here. It had been the first time in four months since she slept here alone, since Spencer went to Vegas to visit his mother. That had been nearly unbearable, she hated being apart from him. However, she was able to take comfort in the fact that he was going to come back to her. Not this time… she wouldn't be surprised if the kiss he gave her tonight was the last they ever shared.

A break between her retching let her rest her head on the wall, her tired, bloodshot eyes falling closed. All she could think about was when he took her to the cabin. He protected her, he cared for her. He made her feel like she'd never be alone again. It felt like it had all been a dream. Reality was the real nightmare. Perhaps she'd been right along. She could never have that perfect life. She wouldn't grow old with someone, she wouldn't have hordes of grandchildren by her deathbed. She was doomed to be alone.

Well, not completely alone. She was still having a baby. No matter what, it was still her baby… she could do it alone. Emily could do anything. It was the ache of losing the perfect life she'd envisioned made everything inside her hurt so bad, she wanted to die.

In the morning, she'd come to terms with this. She'd force herself to move on and start planning for her child. For now, she'd let her heart ache in longing… both for Spencer and the life they could have shared.

* * *

Reid was shivering. The clouds overhead indicated rain wasn't far away. No surprise, considering the hurricanes in the South over the last few days. However, the seasonal weather patterns were the last thing on the young man's mind right now. Thinking about getting caught in the rain only made him long for Emily, and he had no right to go to her. Especially when he still had no idea how he felt.

The sidewalk was bathed in the glow of the orange street lights, lighting up the shops that lined the way. Most were closed by now, or would be within a matter of moments. It was getting late; although some places remained open a few more hours to take advantage of the Friday night crowds.

One store caught his eye, seeing the soft light inside. He stopped in his tracks, taking no notice of the movement behind that stopped as well. He was too interested in the furniture, mainly on the lovely display of their upcoming sale. One on nursery furniture and decorations. What his eyes found, glistening in the dim light from the lamps, suddenly made him feel easy. The knots of in his stomach slid apart like they were liquefied and the pain in his chest fluttered away like the wings of a sparrow. If he weren't so rational, he might believe that was a sign… that this baby was supposed to happen, and everything would be okay.

It wasn't, however. Reid was much too clearheaded for that. He did, however, suddenly realize how stupid he'd been. If he'd just taken a moment to see the joy about this – like Emily wanted him to – he'd have been just as happy as she was. Maybe even more.

He had to make this right. Quickly, Reid rushed over to the door, thankful to see he still had fifteen minutes before closing. This wouldn't take more than a minute.

Perhaps it was lucky Reid rushed in when he had. It hadn't been according to plan, but he wasn't sure he could deny himself the opportunity when it was so perfectly placed before him. If the young genius had looked right at him, there was no chance he would have seen him. The man, hiding so perfectly in the shadows, he seemed to blend into them.

Stepping out into the light for a moment, he took the chance to pull out his list. Creased and wrinkled. He splashed coffee on it a few days ago, but it was still the same. With two exceptions. A crisp line had been dragged through Debra Winslow's name, his work done with her. Removing his pencil, he went down the list, searching for the next one… where was it… Paul Hector… Christopher Sullivan… David Rossi… Oliver Penwell… there it was. Matthew Klein. Holding the pencil firmly, supporting the paper with the palm of his opposite hand, he drew a line through that name as well. Done and done.

He eyed the list again, glancing up as he looked at the shop his person of interest had stepped into. His eyes went back down to the list, after a moment's searching, found Spencer Reid. He could have waited, but now wasn't the right time. He was tired, having made that long drive back from Ohio. Besides, if it was to be justice, it had to be done right.

Folding up his list again, he slipped it into his pocket before turning around. He casually walked off, never running, disappearing into the night until they were one. Justice would be served. Soon.

* * *

It was hard to feel guilty and shameful when he felt so damn good. Rossi hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. He stretched out under the soft, high thread count sheets, every muscle in his body loose and warm. It was even more fulfilling seeing the gorgeous woman beside him, the sheets barely hiding her sensual body. Her lips were pink and swollen, her brunette hair messed and tousled. And that satisfied smile she was giving him… she was absolutely stunning.

Elizabeth gave a light chuckle. "Why does something so wrong feel so damn good?"

"You read my mind." Rossi admitted, rolling over to face him. They draped over him just above his navel. It had been years since he lay in bed with a woman, not searching for the best way to excuse himself and head home. Indeed, he would have very happy to pull her to him and sleep the rest of the night away.

"We really shouldn't have done this again." Rossi said, shaking his head. They were both afraid to talk, but they couldn't very well ignore what they'd committed. Not lying naked in bed. "I just couldn't help it."

"Me, neither." She admitted, her fingers messing with the patch of dark hair on his heaving chest. His heart rate still had yet to slow down. "As soon as you kissed me, I completely blacked out. But we made a mistake, it was unfair to do it a second time."

"You know," Rossi's hand came over to rest over hers, right on top of his beating heart. Her skin was so soft, like velvet. "If it wasn't for Emily, I wouldn't regret a second of this. I need you to know that."

"Thank you," She said softly. Almost like she'd been uncertain of his feelings, as if he were just using her. Truthfully, his feelings for her were much deeper, even after just 24 hours.

"I wish things could be different, Lizzie." He admitted, moving closer. "I feel like you and I have a real connection, that we could have something that I haven't shared with another in many years. But I refuse to betray my friend like this."

Thinking for a moment, Elizabeth twirled her finger around a few strands of the hair. Her mind was spinning wildly, trying to think how she could possibly keep him from leaving her.

"Maybe we're being too hasty," She said with hopeful smile. "Emily's not a child, David. I know you work with her, but she is an adult. This doesn't have to affect her and she doesn't need her mother watching out for her… she never did."

What came next, Rossi would always blame on an old mind dazed from a round of passionate lovemaking. He shook his head, looking towards the ceiling. "I'm not so sure about that, Liz. She's incredibly independent, but every girl needs her mother when she's having a baby."

"What!" Elizabeth screamed.

Stunned, Rossi nearly believed there had been a third voice in the room, revealing the truth about the ambassador's daughter. His mouth stood open as he saw Elizabeth sit up, her arm holding the sheet protectively around her.

"Emily's… pregnant?" She said, her eyes large and wide.

He searched tirelessly for his voice, but it couldn't be found. She stared at him, silently screaming at him to give her answers, but none came forth.

If he wasn't going to discuss it, she would demand to know the truth. "Well, tell me… how long has this been going on?"

"She only found out yesterday." Rossi said as he sat up with her, desperate for her to keep calm.

"Yes, and I've seen her since then!" She cried, rage starting to boil in her beautiful eyes. "I can't believe she didn't tell me!"

"It's only been one day!" Rossi assured. "She only told me because she hadn't told the father yet and she wanted to talk to someone."

At that, she paused, stopping herself from exploding with rage. It diminished a bit as she hung her head. She didn't say anything, too hurt by the fact her daughter didn't trust her enough to confide in her.

"Who's the father, then?" She wondered. "At least she knows who he is."

"Of course she does," Rossi wouldn't reveal her daughter had been in a relationship for nearly a year, nor that she was jeopardizing her career by dating a teammate. He'd done enough to sabotage the poor girl.

"Well, then!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Tell me! Who is he, what do you know about him? Is he a decent man, is he going to help raise his child? Is he even financially able to?"

"Liz-"

"No, I want to know what this man is like." She ordered.

"Lizzie, it's not my place to say," was all he would reveal. Elizabeth had too many connections in their field, including Section Chief Erin Strauss. Reid and Emily were in enough danger of losing their jobs, they didn't need the added stress if Elizabeth Prentiss made waves.

Amazed, "Why won't you tell me?"

"She's only telling him tonight." He revealed. "Other than me, no one else knows, and you need to give her a chance to tell you. I know Emily very well. I know at a time like this, she needs to go through a process. She's always been like that since I've known her, and I'm sure you know that, too. You can't rush her."

That was true, and it was really embarrassing this man not only knew her daughter better than she, but seemed to know how to handle her. An aspect the ambassador could never get a grasp on.

"Okay," Elizabeth shrugged, smoothing the sheet down with her free hand absentmindedly. "If that's what she needs, I won't force her, I'll wait until she's ready. Although I would still like to know who the father of my grandchild is."

Rossi couldn't help glancing at her bare hip at the side, having an urge to tickle his fingertips there, trace a line across the perfect skin. Not a mark or blemish in sight. He forced his gaze away as he smiled at her. "I won't tell you that. I will, however tell you that the father is a very good man. He loves your daughter more than life itself, and I believe, when the time comes, he will be a great and loving dad. Your daughter and grandchild are in good hands, you needn't worry."

"I can't help but worry." She sighed. "But I do hope you're right. I'd hate for history to have to repeat itself."

With that came an epiphany. Glancing over, Elizabeth found Rossi's eyes, watching her with a warmth and love she'd never found in a man's eyes before. Not when they were focused on her.

"In fact," She smirked as she let herself lie beside her lover once again. "I think I should take my own advice."

"What do you mean?" Rossi wondered, curious. He couldn't be hopeful at the look on her face, inching a big closer to her.

"I mean," she said slowly. "I'm not going to make the same choice as I did the first time. I once sacrificed everything for Emily and I suffered a lot of pain for it. I would never blame her for that, nor would I want to go back and change it, but… I feel no need to give up something I want for her again."

Oh, yes, there was a definite story there, Rossi knew. It was buried under layers he was certain the woman wouldn't be willing the peel away quickly. Like her daughter, Elizabeth needed time. She'd open up when she was ready. And he was very willing to give her as much time as she needed. He wanted this too much to walk away, not now. He'd never been one to follow the rules, why should he start now?

Under the covers, his hand rested on her hip, giving her a light squeeze. "I could agree to that, but I have one condition. Emily's dealing with a lot and I'm not sure how happy she'd been about this. For the time being, let's just… keep this between us. At least until the news of the pregnancy comes to light. She needs to know we're on her side right now, so I just want us to be there for her."

Elizabeth's eyes began to glisten when he said that. She couldn't believe this amazing man she couldn't help falling for loved her daughter so much. A man like this was hard to find. How could she ever walk away?

"It's a deal." She smiled, moving so there was barely a centimeter between them. "So… any chance you'll be staying tonight?" Her slender arm wrapped around him, pulling him closer. "We could order room service."

With a wicked grin, Rossi took over in a flash, rolling her over and moving on top of her. "Let's finish working up an appetite first."

She giggled and he silenced her with a loving kiss. The most loving and freeing one they'd shared yet.

* * *

_Emily was shaking as she stared at him, begging for this news to sink in. She felt like she'd fallen into a horrible dimension. All she wanted was to go home, where her worries consisted of only school and friends and her crazy mother. Nothing more._

"_Say something, John," Emily demanded._

_John Cooley, who looked so handsome in the failing Italian light, just stared straight ahead, as if pretending she didn't exist. Inside, she was screaming for him to answer her, at least respond to what she said. Didn't he realize how much she needed him? She might have Matthew, but she needed him. Her friend, the boy that made her heart skip a beat every time she looked at him. She couldn't even begin to figure out what to do without his help._

_Finally he shook his head, giving a scoff. "It's not mine." He mumbled._

_For a moment, Emily thought she was going to have a heart attack. "But… John-"_

"_It's not mine!" He yelled, turning to look at her._

"_Yes, it is, John!" She argued. Her voice sounded so small. "You got me pregnant."_

"_Yeah?" He wondered, looking at her with a smug expression. "Prove it. Everyone knows I'm not the only guy you've ever been with. How could you even know it's mine?"_

"_Because I do!" She exclaimed, tears stinging at her. "John… I… know…"_

"_No, you don't!" He yelled, forcing her to see things her way. "You might think you do, but I did not get you pregnant! This is your problem and if you say a word to anyone about this, I'll tell my father."_

_She scowled at him. "Really? You're going to tattle to your daddy? What are you, five?"_

_He smirked, "No, but my father does work with your mother… and something tells me she's the last person you want to know about this."_

_She was shaking with angry. Along with her nausea, she felt ready to burst into tears. Without a word, Emily grabbed the handle of the car door and wrenched it open, dashing out onto the deserted highway._

"_Emily!" He called out his open window. "Quit being a baby, will you get back in the car?"_

"_No!" She yelled. "I don't even want to look at you."_

_He took only a second thought before he rolled his eyes. "Fine, you're one your own."_

_With that, he started the engine of his father's Lexus. He pulled out of the spot by the cliff that looked over the ocean and pulled onto the highway. He didn't even look back as he sped back to the city, leaving Emily to walk to whole way._

_She was alone, with a whole uncertain future before her. Whatever she chose to do, she knew she would be alone. A place she always feared… but always seemed doomed to be._

When she felt strong enough to get off the floor, Emily headed down to her bedroom. Quickly changing into a shorts and tank top, she eased her exhausted body into bed, feeling so much colder than natural. Emily drifted off, not even bothering to pull the covers over her half naked form. Amazing how a person fell right to sleep after a spell of crying. The body's way of letting a person rest after such an ordeal. It was no relief, though, falling into a horrible nightmare. A time in her life she'd much rather have erased.

Slowly, she began to rise from her restless sleep. Something was brushing against her arm. Sergio, perhaps. He could always sense she was upset. He, after all, had been the first one to sense her condition. He was probably just concerned with why she was so upset.

As her eyes opened, however, she could see from the light of the street lamp from the far window, that wasn't the case. The sleek black cat had taken refuge on the empty pillow beside her, his glowing eyes fixated on something over her shoulder.

She felt the brush on her shoulder again. A gentle, loving stroke. Someone was in her bedroom.

It took only a second for her to brace herself. Without a sound, she whipped herself up, ready to attack the intruder who made it into her room. She nearly took him out with a punch when she heard a desperate cry.

"Emily!" Reid cried, panicked. "Emily, it's me!"

She held herself back in time. "Oh," she gasped, relieved. Although a voice in her head still remained that she should take his head off. "You scared me!"

"I didn't mean to." He assured. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the dark and she was able to make out his face and the lengthy locks of his hair. "You were just sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you."

Appearances were certainly deceiving. "I see, thank you." She nodded, reaching for her blankets, preparing to go back to sleep. "Now get out."

"Emily!" He urged in a distressed tone. "Please listen to me."

"What more could you possibly have to say?" She demanded to know as she sat back up. She couldn't do this in the dark. Reaching to her lamp, she snapped it on, filling the room in a soft light. It danced over the features of his handsome face. His beautiful hazel eyes, hours ago had been so angry, were filled with nothing but remorse and, she was pleased to see, love. She wasn't about to just forgive him, though. The words he said hurt worse than a hot bullet in the stomach, and she wasn't sure she could ever pardon that.

"That I'm sorry," He urged, his voice choking. "God, Emily, I am so… so sorry. I was a jerk."

She hung her head a bit as she mumbled, "A big jerk."

He reached over to take her hand, clasping it as warmly as she held his hours ago. He was thankful she didn't pull away, though she still wouldn't look at him. "Please, let me explain."

Emily hesitated a moment she said just above a whisper. "I'm listening."

"I didn't mean to act like that. That was… a person I'd never seen before. Frankly, I did not like him." He stated to start.

"I wasn't too fond of him, either." She said, looking up. "You have no idea how much you hurt me."

He had an idea. For any amount of pain she felt, though, he felt ten times worse for causing it. He'd rather die than see her in pain.

"This really came out of nowhere." He continued. "We never talked about have a family, about having babies. For a long time, I never even liked being around children. That changed a lot after Henry was born. I love my godson, but I've known for a long time that… I didn't want any of my own."

In that moment Emily thought she might be sick. "You don't?" She faltered.

At that, he gave a smile, "Not unless you're the mother."

Her head came up and her eyes found his. There wasn't a bit of insincerity about that, and it filled her with a sense of joy and relief.

Still, she was angry. Grudges didn't disperse so easily. "That doesn't make it all better. You accused me of doing this on purpose, so you'd be forced to stay with me. You made me feel like I was the only one responsible. You didn't even give it a second thought, you just lashed out at me! That wasn't fair, Spencer!"

"I know!" He urged, reaching over to take her other hand. "I know, and believe me… for the rest of our lives, I will never forgive myself for that. I am so sorry. It was so sudden and, you were right, I was scared. I was purely horrified. I didn't know how to handle all this… I just needed some time to let the truth to sink in. Once it did," his smile came forth again, wider and brighter than before. "I realized I was really happy."

She didn't want to believe him, but there was denying the joy on his face. Emily couldn't stop the small smirk that formed as she questioned, "You mean that?"

"Yes, I do," He nodded. "I'm so happy, Emily. No, we never talked about us having children… we never even mentioned kids since you asked me that one day a few years ago. It's terrifying and things are about to get irreversibly complicated and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid of being a father, but… it's going to be so wonderful!" Reid inched himself nearer, wanting to be as close as possible. "We love each other so much that we made a baby. We're going to be a family! How could I not be happy?"

Tears sting her eyes and struggled to hang onto them. "You really mean that?"

"Yes," He said softly. "I love you so much, that's what's most important… and I should have realized that from the beginning. I'm sorry, and to prove that," at that, he reached down out of sight, "I bought something."

Reid lifted a beige bag onto the bed. He had a happy, yet prideful smile on his face. Emily, however, was not pleased.

Instantly, Emily scowled. Reid may not have been in many relationships, but he should know better. "I don't want it." She said, shoving it back towards him.

Confused, he asked very deflated, "Why?"

"Spencer, you can't buy my forgiveness with gifts!" Emily exclaimed. "You acted like an immature jackass, and buying me a present is not-"

"It's not for you!" Reid interrupted, placing the bag back on her lap. "It's for the baby."

His expression pleaded with her to open it, and Emily was too curious to ignore the gift. Carefully, her delicate fingers took hold of the shopping bag, opening it. Down into the depths of the bag, she could make out a strangely formed object bathed in shadow. The light from her lamp couldn't penetrate into the fine paper of the bag. Slowly, her slender arm reached inside to pull it out.

As the light caught it, Emily gasped, the tears making headway again. Her lip trembled as she watched the glistening beauty of the rotating mobile, made of colorful glittering…

"Stars," She stammered, as she found his gaze again.

Reid reached over to brush her cheek. "So the baby will always be able to catch a falling star. I'm sure that would have been the next part in the fairy tale. The prince takes the pieces of the star to glow for the baby… who's as beautiful as the fair maiden."

He reached down to kiss her cheek. That was it. Emily couldn't be angry with him if she tried.

Carefully, she put the beautiful mobile back into the bag for safe keeping. They'd wasted enough time tonight, and here it was nearly half over. Setting the bag on the floor, Emily pulled away from him, getting a very curious look as she lay back down, one hand gripping his shirt to try and pull him to her.

"Get in this bed with me, Dr. Reid." She ordered with a significant smile.

Grinning from ear to ear, Reid stood off. Quickly, he kicked off his shoes, proceeding next to undo his sweater and shirt. Emily waited anxiously as he tossed the garments away, going to loosen his belt. At last, as he kicked his khakis away, leaving him in nothing but his briefs and t-shirt, Reid climbed onto the bed, diving in for a heavy kiss.

She moaned happily when it ended, feeling his gentle hands brush the ebony hair from her face. "I am sorry," He urged.

"I know," She nodded. "I understand… but you're not acting like this for my benefit are you? You are okay with the baby… right?"

"More than," He assured, resting his head on her brow. "I can't believe it. We're going to have a baby."

It was going to be hard, a real struggle. They didn't have much time before they needed to start making plans, and the others would have to be involved. They couldn't very well not give them the whole story. In a few weeks, one or both of them would be out of a job. Right now, though, it was just about them. All they felt was happiness and excitement, even if it was just for a little while.

Reid's lips moved down from hers onto her jaw line. She giggled lightly as he swipe his tongue on her neck and suckled her flesh down along her cleavage. Her hums and sighs of delight were all the fuel he needed to push him on.

Down along her sternum, he kissed down the valley of her breasts to her stomach, and that was where he stopped. Startled at the sudden pause in his pampering kisses, Emily opened her eyes and sat up to find him.

Reid had stopped his adoring attention only to stare down at her stomach, covered gracefully by the cotton fabric of her top. His expert fingers pushed it up slowly, revealing the creamy, taut flesh.

His eyes looked up to find hers, giving her a bright and excited smile. It lasted only a minute, before he leaned down and pressed the most tender of kisses just below her navel. Her breath caught in her chest at the feel. She felt like crying and laughing at the same time, her hand stroking back his hair in a loving fashion as he nuzzled her right at the spot where their beautiful baby continued to grow.


	11. Bowman's Hill

In a few minutes, the weekend would be over. Hotch had called yesterday to order everyone in before seven on Monday. Unfortunately, with the usual morning sickness, Reid and Emily got a late start and didn't leave until 6:50. They weren't worried, however. Any repercussions they got from this wouldn't even compare to what was coming in the near future. When their secret came out.

They had decided to keep everything quiet until this new case was over. Once everything was wrapped up and things were calm… that's when they would lower the boom. It gave them time to collaborate a plan; to figure out the best way to present it, although they was no doubt one, if not both of them, would be out of a job because of this. But they would jump off that bridge when it came.

The elevator was their last few moments alone before putting on their usual façade. Reid squeezed her hand tighter than usual, as if in fear of what was coming. Emily kept glancing at him and every time he did, she caught his gaze. It was like his eyes were magnetically attached to her.

"Would you stop staring at me?" She hissed, trying not to smile. It was an odd expression. He was definitely worried, but it was masked by a joy and endearment feeling. It made her feel so vulnerable, like he was waiting for something to happen to her.

"What's wrong with me staring?" He asked, shrugging. "I just… can't get over how beautiful you look. The rumor is right, a pregnant woman does glow."

She let out a laugh. "That's from sweat. You vomit for two and a half hours and you'll glow, too."

She meant it as a joke, but it came out in a bitter tone. Reid nodded, turning away. "I'm sorry, I'll… back off."

"No, Baby!" She urged, stepping closer to him. Her hand reached up to brush his cheek, bringing his eyes back to hers. "I'm sorry. I just don't feel well… and I think you and I are walking on eggshells around each other. We're both afraid we're going to upset the other again and get into a second fight."

"That does sound logical." Reid agreed. "You and I have a tendency to linger on a fight days after it happened, even after the initial make-up. And this was the most intense we ever had, which is completely understandable. Our lives have changed forever."

"And we have a lot to figure out." Emily shook her head, taking a step back. She felt like she was staring down into a swirling whirlpool, preparing to suck them in… and neither knew how to swim.

"We will," Reid assured, reaching over to take her other hand. She squeezed it tighter than she expected it to, not even comprehending how much she needed him. "We'll figure everything out once this is out in the open. It might seem easier once we have our friends' support. It won't be easy, but once it's said and done, we'll all be so happy."

"I hope so," She muttered, her gaze falling onto the floor.

He pulled his hand away in order to guide her chin up, making her look at him. "We will… I'm so sorry for this, Emily. You were so much more confident the other night and me exploding at you shattered that. But I swear, no matter what happens, I am going to be here. I'm going to take care of you and protect you and support you and most importantly, I'm going to love you." His hand reached down and caressed over her blouse, right over her firm stomach. "Both of you."

She smiled and felt like crying at the same time. Suppressing her tears was as exhausting as running a marathon. Feeling she was losing the battle, she reached up to brush a kiss on his lips so he wouldn't see. The last thing she wanted him to think was the baby was making her weak.

"Thank you," She said softly as they pulled apart. They didn't have much time; the elevator was already on the fourth floor. "I love you, too. But I don't think it was you… my body is flooding with hormones. One minute I'm ecstatic and excited without a care and the next, I'm paranoid and anxious and worried."

"Well then this is going to be easy." He grinned, letting her go to turn back towards the elevator. They were going to reach the floor in seconds, they couldn't risk being caught right now. "I've had years of experiencing taking care of a crazy woman, I know just how to calm you down."

"More pancakes?" She smiled as the elevator chimed. Reid suppressed a laugh as the elevator at last arrived.

Through the glass doors, they could see the unit was already abuzz with activity, even for so early on a Monday morning. The lobby, however, was dead. It at least gave them a few more minutes to talk.

"First thing is first," Reid announced as they walked in slowly, putting this off as long as possible. "We need to make sure you and the baby are healthy. I'll make some calls this afternoon when I get a break, see which obstetrician has the best reputation in the DC area, unless you feel you'd be more comfortable with your own doctor."

"Spencer!" She urged, grabbing his arm. "You don't have to do this. I know you're trying to make up for Saturday night, but believe me, it's not necessary. I forgive you, so let's just… move on."

"I'm not doing this because of Saturday!" He urged, glancing inside a moment to make sure no one was watching them. "I told you, I'm going to be there for you. And once the team knows, nothing is going to stand in our way. I will be there. Every time you turn around, I will be right there, ready to give you anything you need."

Her brown eyes bulged out slightly, "That's really going to get on my nerves."

Reid couldn't help but smirk, turning to head inside. "You'll feel differently when it's 3 am and you have a craving for Chicken Chow Mein."

He swung open the door and the two stepped inside. Only one of the team saw them arrive, and he was no one they had to explain their congruent arrival to. Rossi stood in the break room, stirring a black mug with the FBI seal on it, spotting them as they headed to their desks.

"Good morning," he said as he approached them. Emily gave him a smile as she tossed her red scarf on her chair. "Did we have a nice weekend?"

"Yes we did." She answered. It wasn't blatantly obvious at first sight, but she seemed to detect there was something different about the old man today. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Hmm," he hummed, smiling. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Bemused, Reid looked at Emily curiously, "You already told Dave?"

She cringed with guilt. "Yeah… I uh… I just needed someone to talk to and… well, I knew he wasn't going to have a nervous breakdown."

"They don't call them nervous breakdowns anymore." Reid explained. "That being said, that's not fair, Emily. You told him before you told me! I'm the…" he lowered his voice to whisper, after making sure there wasn't an eavesdropper in sight. "I am the father, after all!"

"Sweetheart," she said, just as softly, stepping closer to him. "You flipped out so badly, we nearly broke up. You have no room to argue."

She had a point. Clearing his throat, he nodded. "You're right… I'm sorry."

"She just wanted to tell someone, Reid." Rossi said. "You know you both can trust me, I won't tell anyone."

He agreed, smiling again. Emily returned it, unable to deny how much she loved what the three shared. No matter what happened when the others found out, she would always look back on this time as the most exciting. When her and Spencer's love was secret and forbidden, and the only person who could know was their best friend. There had to be a way they could repay him for this. Hopefully, they would find it in time.

"I assume the others are in the conference room?" Reid mentioned as he pulled the case files from his bag. He hadn't looked at them all since Emily arrived at his place. Not that he needed to, but sometimes it helped him clear his head and unlock evidence he hadn't noticed the first time… or even the fifth time.

"We're still waiting on Hotch, so you're technically not late." He said. "He's been on the phone with the Akron police all morning. Something must have happened."

Emily asked as they three began to make their way to the catwalk. "You mean you don't know?"

"I haven't touched the case since we left the other night," He explained, keeping his answers as vague as possible.

"Really?" Reid asked, suspecting their friend was no being entirely truthful. His suspicions didn't even compare to what Emily was detecting right then.

"Yes, really," Rossi answered, much more defensive than needs be. "Why would I lie about that, may I ask?"

"Because you've been so devoted to this case since we started." He indicated. The way the old man was avoiding his eyes. A sure sign he was trying to hide something. "You said something about a prior engagement when we left on Saturday… an event that lasted the rest of the weekend? Doesn't sound likely."

"Oh my God!" Emily exclaimed with a smile. She cut both the men off, facing Rossi with a wide smile.

"What?" Both the men asked, both with varying different tones. While Reid was merely curious, Dave felt a clench of worry and guilt in his gut. The last person he wanted to know about this weekend, even in the least, was Emily.

"I think Rossi had a date!" She brightly cried.

His face became very stern and impassive, trying to brush this off as a younger person's wishful thinking. Reid on the other hand had gone from curious to bewildered.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" He wondered, as if she were crazy.

She didn't answer, waiting for Rossi's response. He stared her down for a long moment before going to push past her. The door was only a few steps away. "The others are waiting."

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed again. "You're actually embarrassed about it, too. Oh, I've got to know who this girl is. I've never known anyone to make you blush."

"I'm not blushing." He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Your cheeks are a little rosy." Hotch announced as he stepped closer. He caught the tail end of the discussion, but was too preoccupied to be interested in it. The fun of the conversation faded instantly, catching the solemn look on their chief's face. "Come on everyone, we need to get started."

He hurried inside, ready to get to work. Not wanting to keep him waiting, the three followed without another thought. They each claimed seats with the rest of the team, filling the round table appropriately.

Hotch cleared his throat to begin as the others turned to him. He was used to having all eyes on him, yet today he found it so unsettling. This whole case was so much more disturbing than previous ones, no doubt because the victims were so personal to them. Maybe they didn't know them as they knew each other, but it was an aspect of working in the FBI. They were all brothers. Knowing there was someone out there taking the lives of one of their own made them saddened and very angry.

"I'm sorry to inform you," He said with a clear voice, "that Agent Klein was found murdered on Saturday night."

There was a hush around the room as each other agents sighed with disappointment. "Where was he found?" Morgan questioned.

"In an unmarked grave on Bowman's Hill." He explained. "Bowman's Hill is a prisoner plot in Akron, for any prisoner who isn't claimed by family."

"Oh my God," JJ muttered, looking at the others appalled. "How did they even find him?"

He continued to describe. "Two of the workers noticed one of the coffins wasn't fitting into the grave as securely as possible. At first they suspected it might be a tree root, but once they dug a bit… they found a hand reaching out of the dirt. They called the authorities who were already on alert about Klein's disappearance."

"Do they know how he was killed?" Emily asked.

Their unit chief nodded. "He was brought into DC late yesterday afternoon. They autopsy's already been performed and Garcia's sent the information to your tablet."

Everyone pulled out their devices, searching for the new file to look for evidence. Hotch went on speaking as they searched. "According to the coroner, he suffocated."

"So he was buried alive then." Rossi stated.

"No," Reid shook his head as he read the evidence, slightly slowly than he would on normal paper. The others looked up at him. "He couldn't have died in the ground. The coroner didn't find any dirt or debris in Klein's lungs. The grave was only the dumpsite."

"Okay, so if there were no fibers or water or anything that obstructed his breathing, the unsub must have used a sheet of plastic or something." Morgan specified.

Emily swiped through each picture of the body on the exam table, looking for any signs of a struggle. "He has no defensive wounds whatsoever, all these cuts have no blood or swelling, it was all after he died."

"That makes sense," Morgan looked up. "The unsub knew he couldn't overpower a big, strong, trained FBI agent, so he snuck up on him."

"He didn't sneak up on Lovefield, though." Rossi stated. "He attacked him head on, the two profiles don't match."

"So, are we looking at two different killers?" JJ wondered.

"No, it's the same guy." Reid assured.

The others all turned to him, wondering where this surge of certainty had come from. He didn't seem to notice. Or he simply didn't care. "Garcia," He cried.

"Yes?" She piped up, unsure why she was suddenly being called out.

"Can you find a former case of Klein's where the victims were killed the same way as he?" He requested. "It has to be a time before he worked with Winslow."

"If it's out there, I'll find it. Nothing can hide from me." She informed, opening the lid of her laptop.

The others weren't convinced this was the way to go. Hotch called him out, too worried this hunch of his was just a waste of time. "You're so certain the unsub is copying old cases, Reid?"

"Yeah, how do you know he's not just forming an MO?" Morgan wondered. "We've seen it before. Remember Eric Ryan Olson?"

"Olson was copying famous killers." Reid stated. "This killer is choosing unsubs connected to each agent. He could just be forming an MO, but why chose these specific cases? What attracts him?"

"He might have a point," Rossi agreed. "Lovefield and Winslow had a very passionate, sadistic murder while leaving the corpse in the open. Klein was killed almost mercifully, and then his body was hidden, given what appears to be a proper burial. Why would he change so suddenly if not for a specific reason?"

"We need to compare the three cases together, and find what they have in common." Reid assured. He looked to Hotch with eyes blazing with hope and confidence. "I think I can find it. It might be subtle, but it'll mean everything."

It was the best course of action they had. Hotch didn't have a reason to turn him down, and Reid had never steered them wrong before. "You've already found the matching cases for the previous two?"

"I'm almost certain," Reid assured. "They're not exact, but they're too similar to be coincidence."

"Alright, work with Garcia to see if there's a connection. In the meantime, the rest of us need to follow other leads." He explained, wishing they had more to go on. "Morgan and Emily, I want you to go to Klein's apartment and look for clues there. See if there's any evidence he or his roommate had contact with any suspicious people in the last month or so. JJ, I'd like you to come with me to the hospital. Klein's roommate is drifting in and out of consciousness; we might be able to question him."

"You really think he's going to know something?" She asked, unsure it was wise to disturb a man who was struggling to cling on to life.

Rossi took the initiative to answer. "We have a theory the unsub wouldn't have beaten him so severely if he wasn't somehow involved in this. He might just have been hiding his whereabouts, but until we know otherwise, we need to cover all the bases."

"We're still trying to make a connection from Lovefield to the other two." Hotch continued. "Rossi will be covering that, it's imperative… especially if we want to know who he's targeting next."

"Wow," Garcia muttered. It had been in the back of their minds that the unsub might be close to striking again, but now it was out in the open, staring at them in the face like the bogeyman appearing out of the darkness. "You're right… it could be any one of us…"

They knew she meant in the Bureau, but it didn't stop the group from glancing at each other, all feeling the cold chill go down their spines.

"We're not going to stop him just sitting here." Hotch insisted. "Let's go, we'll meet back here by noon."

They were wasting time. Everyone quickly got up, ready to dive into this. They would find this guy in no time… or so they hoped.


	12. Truth and Lies

A/N: I can't tell you all how touched I am! I was hoping you'd all understand, but you guys seemed so supportive about the break, I can't tell you what that means to me! Thank you all so much, and finally, here is the next chapter! I hope you guys like it. Posting should be a bit more regular now, what with the other stories I have going, so stay tuned guys! And thank you all again, you're amazing! :)

* * *

Tapping the bottom of her cup, Garcia drank the last view drops of her coffee. She pouted as she eyed the empty container through the hole in the lid. "This is when I get sad, because it's gone."

She set her cup aside, looking to Reid as if in wait for a response. They may as well have been on different planets, let alone in the same room. The last of the files from the three deceased agents had finally been located in the archives, brought up for their effort, this time with cold cases included. Immediately, the young genius tore throw them, his eyes running over words like water through a spaghetti strainer. His mind soaked them up, processing them thoroughly. Once he had finished, he felt extremely wired and headed to the white board where he worked to get his thoughts down. Just looking at the mess he'd scribbled made the techie goddess want to be sick.

"May I inquire something, Smarty Pants?" Garcia questioned, swiveling a bit, the better to see him.

"Hmm?" Reid mumbled, never stopping as he wrote a quick note in an unused quarter of an inch.

"I know what you're doing isn't exactly difficult for you, but... wouldn't it be easier if I typed this stuff out for you? It would be a lot more organized and much easier to search through later." She offered kindly. "We could discover a lot more that way."

Reid never took his eyes from the board as he reached behind him for his own coffee to drink, not even noticing he, too, had taken the last of it. He set the cup aside and kept working. "I prefer to do it by hand. Letting my mind process it is faster than what the computer could accomplish, and I can think better when it's laid out like this." He looked behind him, giving her a small smile. "But thank you."

With a shake of her head and a disbelieving laugh, Garcia sat back in her chair, observing the young man. "Baby, you are truly one of a kind."

"Something I'm thankful for." Rossi mentioned as he returned to the room. A steaming cup of green tea in hand, his cell phone in the other. "I'm not sure the world could handle two of them... but we shall see."

It was the only thing that could distract the young man. Both of them looked to the old Italian with varying expressions. While Garcia was amused and curious, Reid was trying to hide his panic.

"How exactly would we see such a phenomenon, Agent Rossi?" Garcia questioned.

He met Reid's eyes before he chuckled. "You never know what medical science is cooking up. I just hope I'm not around to see that experiment. Something tells me it would rival the tale of Jekyll and Hyde."

"Amusing," Reid muttered, his heart beating so hard, he could hear it echo in the room. "Where exactly have you been, anyway? I thought you had to help us search through the rest of these cases."

"Funny thing, about being my age, you never really _have_ to do anything." He insisted. "Garcia's still running searches to see if any of their cases overlapped and I've been waiting on a phone call."

"From who?" Garcia questioned. "Lovefield's partner, maybe? I've been trying to reach him. We need to see what he knew about that case."

He hesitated a moment, knowing neither of them could know about this. Right now, he didn't want anyone to know. Sneaking around like teenagers, knowing what consequences could descend on them if they were to be caught; it made everything so exciting. So much better than the fracturing of fraternization rules. "It's personal."

"Oo, a mystery!" Garcia cooed. "I live for stuff like that. When I know there's a secret, it's next to impossible to keep it from my clutches for long. so I'd watch your back... sir." She added the last word quickly as she realized her mouth was about to get her into trouble yet again.

Again, he chuckled softly, leaning back in his seat. "Dully noted, my dear."

Silence fell again as Garcia continued working on the searches via her laptop; at the same time, Reid continued his work. Rossi studied him as the young man studied the board. It was such a mystery how that boy's mind worked. What he saw behind his eyes when he drifted into thought. At times like this, he considered what Emily may have discovered about him over the months. It was a curious and frightening thought, and Rossi considered he was better off not knowing.

"Any luck yet?" He questioned in an effort to get his attention.

By the scrunch and twitch of his mouth, they could tell Reid was thinking intently, but not entirely certain of anything. "I suppose if it were in black and white, this unsub wouldn't have gotten this far already... but finding the right cases while trying to find a connection to all three. In theory, I'd say the odds are 100,000 to 1... more or less. Of course, those odds are only so good because Lovefield was in the Bureau for so long. He has at least 15 years on either Winslow or Klein."

"You already told us Lovefield's possible match," Rossi said, leaning back in his chair a bit as he observed the young man. "What about Winslow's?"

"That was easier to compare." Reid replied, and with that quickly walked around the table to reach the folders so casually strewn about on the table. "About two years ago, while still working in Detroit, Winslow dealt with a case where elderly women on Welfare were beaten and rapped while tied to a bed. The killer would break in after midnight, bringing his own restraints and supplies, he'd stay there until just before dawn and then finally kill his victim. Because the women were so old and usually living in rundown buildings where they weren't necessarily on friendly terms with their neighbors, he could do whatever he wanted without being disturbed."

"And I assume they he made them dress like cheap floozies in the process, right?" Garcia asked, glancing at the picture of Debra Winslow, who wore a frilly pink nightgown that didn't fit her personality in the least. "The poor girl looks like she belongs in a 70s stag film."

"The garment was tested and it contains a lot of trace evidence that couldn't be found in Winslow's apartment." Reid answered. "They've been trying to deduce where exactly a lot of those items intersect in DC, but so far no trail."

"Okay, so Lovefield and Winslow's murders check out." Rossi replied. His hands folded before him as he processed all this, trying to deduce what to do next. "But Klein's is a mystery?"

"Not at all!" Reid exclaimed. "Klein worked in Organized Crime for four years before he switched over to Counter Intelligence and worked with Winslow. He dealt mostly with the Russian mafia, but there isn't one case - or one murder for that matter - that matches his death. No one was suffocated like him and no one was buried in an unmarked grave. It just... doesn't make any sense."

Rossi, disappointed, gave a shrug. "Maybe we're just on the wrong track with this. It's a good theory, Reid, but it's not panning out, so we need to think of something else."

"No," He replied shaking his head as he reached for a nearby file, hoping some new evidence might appear that he hadn't found before. "No, I'm just missing something."

"I think Rossi might be right, Babe." Garcia replied, downtrodden. "No worries, everybody's wrong sometimes."

"And I appreciate that," Reid uttered, glancing up at her, "and I accept, hypothetically, that I could be wrong. But I'm not wrong this time. It's the only thing that makes sense... he found inspiration for Klein's death in his work, otherwise he wouldn't have targeted him... but what was it?"

There was a long silence as Reid gave up on the folders and papers. If the answer was in here, he'd already read it. He just needed to focus.

Rossi suddenly thought of something. "What about Klein's roommate? We haven't included him in this, have we?"

Reid stopped, remembering that part. He'd been so focused on connecting the deaths of the agents, he'd forgotten that one detail. Obviously, it had to mean something."

"I thought the roommate was jus attached because he was looking for Agent Klein." Garcia announced, glancing between the men. "I mean, I'm not crazy here, right? If this little jerk face wanted to find Klein as soon as possible, he would do whatever it took to sniff him out. His roommate would be his best bet."

"Wait!" Reid cried, struck with an epiphany. "I think I know which case it is!"

"Which one?" Rossi cried, curiously alarmed.

But Reid didn't say. Instead, he sifted through the pile, spotting the name of a case close to the bottom. Yanking it up, he flipped it open while snatching his phone. Quickly, as he read it... he could definitely find a connection. Without a sound, he rushed from the room, clicking furiously on his phone to find the right number.

"He has got to learn to start finishing his thoughts!" Garcia exclaimed, slightly infuriated.

Rossi shook his head, letting it go for now. After all, he'd spent the last five years or so around this young man, he was used to his erratic behavior by now. Sometimes, he just needed to get his thinking out before he could begin to explain it, even to himself.

For now, all they could do was wait. Rossi sat back in his chair, letting out a relaxed sigh as he looked around him. It was so rare to see the round table littered in so many files from so many cases. It was just proof how much the Bureau had to deal with to keep this country safe, and these were just a percentage of it.

He was about to look away, trying to think of a pleasant subject to discuss with Garcia. Something to brighten up her day and get her mind off this horrid affair. However, his eye caught something. For a second, he thought it just might have been the trick of the light, but when he looked back again, it was obvious his old eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Reaching into the pile, his fingers touched the tab of the folder, ever so slightly sliding the label into view. Reading it, he felt the bottom of his stomach fall out, and all the painful memories washed back to him.

His anguish couldn't be hidden as he pulled the file into his hands, slightly trembling. He carefully opened it, reading the words he hadn't looked at in years, yet still knew every word. His eyes were suddenly glassy and unfocused, like he were losing himself in another dimension. That, at least, was Garcia's metaphor as she observed him.

"Sir?" She questioned. "Are you alright? Did you find something?"

A million phantom sounds were washing around Rossi. Cruel laughter mixed with the screams of the innocent, and then silence. The worst silence he ever heard.

He snapped it closed and looked to Garcia as if he'd just come out of a trance. "We'd better reorganize these, before anything important turns up missing."

She didn't argue, nodding with concern as she stood, starting to gather up every standard issue folder before her. While she was distracted, Rossi slipped the folder into the bag under his chair. It probably wasn't the best idea to bring it with him... but it was all he had left of her.

* * *

Emily and Morgan were let into the apartment by the landlady. "Matthew Klein and Porter Mills; not the best tenants I ever had, but decent enough for the last few years. I don't know how I'm supposed to rent this place now." She grumbled, wearing an old ratty house coat and slippers that looked as old as the building itself. "I've never pretended this is a safe neighborhood, but once news gets out there's been a break in, there won't be any hope for at least a year. That's income down the drain."

"Well, good news," Emily muttered as she examined the door. "I don't think anyone broke in?"

Morgan, who'd been standing in the living room, turned to her with curiosity. "You sure?'

"Not entirely, but there's no evidence to suggest a breaking and entering." She indicated the lock on the door, examining it with a latex glove hand. "The locks intact, there's no splintering wood. I'm guessing Klein's roommate let his attacker in."

"Well, that says it all right there!" The landlady exclaimed. "What kind of imbecile lets in a stranger, I don't take in tenants until I at least run background checks and talk to references. It pisses people off, but I could be letting in an axe murderer, for all I know!"

"Okay, ma'am," Morgan urged, stepping over to begin guiding her out. "Thank you for letting us in here, we'll let you know when we're done."

With some quick talking, he managed to lift the crime tape and lead her under, allowing him the shut her out in the hall. She didn't protest, but a loud tutting could be heard at her annoyance, followed by her fading footsteps.

"Curiosity killed the cat." He muttered with a shake of his head, heading back into the living room, which was remarkably messy. A beat passed before he added. "Good thing Reid's not here, he'd probably spout on about why that phrase is inaccurate."

"Or Garcia saying it's offensive to cats." Emily muttered as she stepped into the bedroom.

Morgan chuckled. "That, too."

They took some time to look around the place, profiling everything before him. "Something's wrong here." He called to his partner. "This place is a mess, but it looks like one gathered over the course of a week or so... not something that was caused by an fight."

"You think?" Emily called from the bedroom. Whatever Morgan was noticing in there, it did not match in here. On the queen-sized bed were several smears of dried blood, like it had gathered around an object that had left it behind. Perhaps the weapon.

"Yeah, everything in here seems laid about in a casual manner. Nothing's spilled or knocked over or broken... some chip crumbs on the floor, and empty beer cans, but... nothing else. Damn, these guys are slobs." He cried in disgust.

A moment later he joined Emily in the bedroom, his feelings confirmed. This mess was much more intense. Broken picture frames and a smashed lamp. Blood had smeared on the floor by the bed as well, along with a few splashed on the walls and bedspread.

"If the unsub contained the attack to the bedroom, that could mean he was following a plan." Emily said as she knelt down to get a better view of the smears. "Flakes are mixed in with this... orange, maybe rust."

"Some kind of old metal." Morgan confirmed. "The unsub may have had it for a while."

"Or stolen it recently." She nodded, standing up straight. "I'll ask Garcia to look into any break-ins in the last few days. It might mean something."

"That's a long shot," He shook his head. "Besides, even if we find who broke in, odds are this guy planned it so well, nothing will connect him to the crime."

"Not yet," Emily muttered, "but we'll find something. There's always something, even if it's just a profile."

"This guy is very organized." Morgan muttered, looking around. "He knew his victims well. He fought with Mills because he wanted to. If he wanted to submit him, like he did to Winslow and Lovefield, he would have found a way."

"Why was he so special?" Emily wondered as she looked to the men's dresser. There didn't seem to be any items taken in a rush here, indicating Klein was too concerned with getting away than to worry about personal items, and the unsub wasn't interested in petty theft. As she felt a minor woozy feeling wash over her, her hands gripped the top of the dresser. No, not here.

"Well, for one thing, he's the first victim who's not an agent." He insisted. "He must have had the same trigger the other three victims had to attract the unsub... unless it had something to do with Klein itself."

When a minute passed, he glanced over at Emily for a response. She was in no state to talk right now, trying with all her power to keep things in her mouth. She was breathing heavily, trying to keep her balance as she squeezed her eyes shut tight, anxious for this to go away.

Morgan indicated a curve by the window. "I think there's a bathroom right over there."

Thank goodness, because she wasn't sure she could last another second. Emily hurried across the room and around the wall where a bathroom was artistically hidden. Morgan counted the seconds until he heard the distinct retching sounds to follow.

For the better part of a half hour, Emily spent with her head in the toilet. Not only was she woken up each day with two hours of vomiting, she usually was claimed by a residual attack just before noon. She was right on time.

She hadn't even noticed Morgan was holding back her hair and patting her back until she finally sat up. Emily moaned from discomfort, her throat dry and sore now. Sweat covered her entire face and down her neck. Exhausted, she leaned back against the wall, Morgan remaining at her side.

"Thank you," she muttered slightly embarrassed. Quickly, she covered herself. "I think I have, uh... bit of a flu."

"Lies are never becoming on a beautiful woman." Morgan uttered, putting his arm around her. "I'm not stupid, Prentiss, I know what's going on."

She glared at him skeptically, hiding her fear. "You think you know everything."

"I know you've been throwing up for a week now." Morgan uttered. "Usually in the morning, and around 3 o'clock, and when you smell Chinese food. I also noticed you eat an exceeding amount of pickles on your sandwich the other day. You hate pickles."

"I don't hate pickles!" She was hanging onto her argument by a thread, knowing she was going to lose this battle.

"Not to mention you've been pretty tired and day dreaming a hell of a lot more, lately." He insisted. "I wasn't born yesterday, I can tell what's going on here."

Emily gave a scoff. "Maybe I'm just in love."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are. And it's lead to a bun in the oven." He couldn't help but pat her stomach, feeling her flinch away slightly at his touch. Almost as if he could feel the baby growing in there. He cocked his head at her at that. "Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong."

There was no use lying anymore. hanging her head slightly, she exhaled deeply, conceding at last. "You're not wrong... I'm pregnant."

She expected the slew of questions, but all he did was smile from ear to ear. He pulled her into a loving hug, holding her close. "Prentiss, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you," she uttered, leaning on him, squeezing the bicep of his arm tightly. It was so odd feeling this vulnerable. She loved her friends more than anything, but she was a very independent woman. Emily never let herself need someone... until now. Was it because she'd let herself feel so deeply for Reid or just the hormones of the pregnancy. Probably both.

"You know I've got questions," Morgan said as he pulled away. "Especially about the father... oh, am I going to get on his case."

Emily had no control over her impulses now, her exasperation getting the better of her. Her heart beat painfully inside her, making her feel she was going to be sick again. She yelled at him sternly. "You leave him alone! He's going through enough right now, Morgan, having to deal with this, the last thing he needs you teasing him relentlessly! You always find a reason to make fun of him, and I'm getting sick of it."

Her joy at finally getting to stand up for her boyfriend was short lived as Morgan eyed her suspiciously. "Have I teased him before?"

There was no way out of this, and she certainly couldn't admit the truth. Emily was nearly choking trying to talk, having no idea what to say. The longer she hesitated, the more Morgan's suspicions were confirmed.

"Oh, Prentiss, no." He uttered in a dangerously low tone. His happiness had certainly faded, turning to shock and bordering on anger. "Tell me it's not Reid."

Emily had no words.

* * *

The doctor slipped from the room, letting the door slide shut behind him. JJ and Hotch stood from their seats to greet him, waiting for news. "He's got a long way to recovery, if he even pulls through this. He's no where near out of the woods. I'm not so sure this is a good idea."

"Normally, we wouldn't dream of bothering him in this state," JJ assured. "But we have no other choice. He's the only living victim to the crimes we're investigating."

The doctor wanted to argue and, had JJ been alone, he would have. Hotch, however, could make his feelings known without a single word. One glance in the intimidating man's direction made him shrink back, ready to comply.

"His heart is very weak right now." He explained. "He had massive amounts of internal bleeding. He flatlined three times in surgery. You need to keep his pulse rate down. It would be prudent to hold off any bad news until he's more stable."

"We understand," Hotch agreed. "This won't take long."

The doctor looked between them both, searching for some way he could argue with them. This was absolutely against his wishes, knowing any kind of turmoil could make his patient crash again. But he had no other choice. "Don't be long," was his last order as he stepped away, continuing with his work.

The two agents were alone and JJ turned to Hotch. "Are we sure we should do this? I mean, we don't have any proof."

"Reid was fairly certain about this. I don't think he would have called, otherwise." Hotch replied. "He wouldn't have suggested it if he wasn't prepared to take the risk."

"I know that, but... this is a lot to say to a person. Especially in a situation like this? If this man's in denial with the general public, the shock of this could be enough to kill him." She stated firmly.

Hotch sternly put his foot down. "If there was another way to get information out of him, we would do it. But this is the proof that connects Klein's case. It might be enough to track his next course of action."

She still didn't feel too good about this, but knew he was right. At the moment, there was no other way and by the time there was, another life might be taken. Another agent might fall. This had to be done.

Both in agreement, Hotch stepped over to the closed door and carefully swung it open. He held it for the young blonde who stepped in behind him, both getting their first sight of the patient.

"The nurse said he'd been going in and out of conciousness for the last few hours," JJ whispered. "If he's even awake now, how conscious can he be?"

"Enough to hear you, ma'am," the patient's voice mumbled over to them, making her jump.

"We're sorry to disturb you, Porter Mills." Hotch called, immediately stepping forward. "We just wanted to ask you some questions about your attack. I'm Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, this is Special Agent Jennifer Jareau. We work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit."

"G-men," he muttered with, if they could make out his contorted face right, looked like an amused expression. "I'd ask to see your badges, but... I'm not seeing much of anything right now."

Indeed, his lids were swollen to bright purple balloons covering his eyes. It was rather dark in here except for the soft reading light above his bed, but even a solar flare wouldn't bother this man. He was in darkness.

"This won't take long, sir," JJ promised. "We just need to know about what happened for our case. Do you know the man who attacked you?"

He coughed a bit. A small effort that looked very painful. He tried to clear his throat before he answered, "Never saw him before in my life, and I'm pretty certain Matt didn't either."

"How long have you and Matt lived together?" Hotch asked.

"Uh..." he thought for a moment, "just a couple years. I answered his ad in the paper about finding a roommate. He mostly needed someone to look after his apartment while he needed to be away for his work."

"So that's how you met?" JJ wondered.

He tried to nod, but found that took too much effort. "Yeah... it's not that odd, is it?"

Hotch hesitated, considering exactly what JJ mentioned moments ago out in the hall. "Mr. Porter, we need you to be entirely truthful in your answers. We mean no judgement or discrimination towards you, but we cannot have you lying."

Nervously, he cleared his throat. "I'm not lying."

"Mr. Porter," JJ said softly. She leaned closer to him so as to hear better. "We may not have all the facts straight, but we have a suspicion about you and Matthew Klein... we know your current apartment only had one bedroom... and we know that he switched from Organized Crime to White Collar at the same time you moved in together... moving from a department that requires a lot of time and dangerous undercover to one that has regular hours and less demanding field work is not something an agent does for any reason. Frankly, when I've seen it done... it's usually for something very special... like trying to make a relationship work."

His breathing suddenly became heavy and the increase of beeps on his heart monitor indicated he'd become nervous. He tried to talk at first, but could find no words. Nothing that would help him out of this mess.

"Please..." he uttered in a harsh whisper. "No one can know about that. Do you have any idea how Matt would be discriminated? Civil rights don't exactly apply within the FBI, you know. Maybe they wouldn't fire him, but his job would become hell if they knew he was gay."

"We understand why you didn't want to say anything and..." Hotch paused again, hating that he basically had to lie in order to keep this man healthy, "...we promise, we will keep this quiet from the Bureau."

"Then what was the whole point of asking?" He exclaimed, his heart rate getting much higher than either agent would wish. "Unless this prick beat me for some kind of hate crime."

"That wasn't it," JJ shook her head. "We believe the man who attacked you did so because of a case your boyfriend handled while working in Organized Crime, before he started working with Debra Winslow."

"Debbie," he uttered, as if in longing. They must have been friends. "Is she okay? Matt said she was in danger, too."

JJ and Hotch glanced at each other, unsure. "We have other agents looking into that. Did Matt say why he suspected the two of them were in danger?"

"I don't know exactly, he was keeping me out it." He uttered, trying to breathe. "He said the less I knew, the better." He paused again, trying to clear his throat. "I'm sorry, if I'm going to keep talking, I'm going to need some water."

"I'll get it," JJ said quickly, hurrying away. She went to the pitcher sitting on the table to pour a glass as Hotch stayed to continue listening to the injured man's tale.

"All he did tell me he should have known this was coming. He'd seen people in this state many times before, it was only a matter of time before someone acted upon it. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he told me he'd contact me in a few days." He paused a moment, acting as if he might cry, but couldn't because his eyes were sealed shut. "He could be trying to call me right now and he has no idea where I am."

"Here," JJ said soothingly as she rushed the cup over. "Take a sip."

She eased the straw into his mouth and allowed him to drink to his content. The glass was over half gone before he stopped. "Thank you," he uttered as he swallowed. "Anyway, not long after he left this man showed up, demanded to know where he was. I told him I didn't know, that he left in such a rush. The strangest part was... he seemed to accept that. He genuinely believed I didn't know, but started to beat me with a crowbar, anyway. At first, I thought he was trying to rob me, but he just wouldn't stop. Over and over, hitting every part of me until I was in so much pain, I couldn't even whimper. I thought I was going to die... right there on the floor of our bedroom; I was in so much pain."

"Can you describe what he looked like to a sketch artist?" Hotch questioned, hoping they might get a real lead on this. If they could just get his picture out to the media, this attacker could quickly be stopped.

"I could try, but I'm not very good at that kind of thing." Porter explained. "His voice, though... I could definitely identify that. I hear in perfect pitch, so I'd be able to pick out his voice, no problem."

That was at least something. "If we need to when we catch this man, we'll definitely take you up on that. We just have one more question, and then we'll let you rest... did this man say anything to you while you were being attacked? Anything that stood out as odd... or out of normal context."

He let out a scoff. "I've been beat up a lot in my life... not this bad, but... being a gay man, there's always a prejudice group around. So I've heard a lot in my day... and I'd never heard the things this guy said."

"What did he say?" JJ asked desperately.

He tried to clear his throat again and she quickly grabbed the water, once again offering the straw. He drank some more, swallowing gratefully. "I'm paraphrasing, of course... he mentioned about lives that were ruined... and wrongs needing to be right... sometimes sacrifices need to be made in the name of justice. A lot of it sounded like rambling, but... it was like he was doing this for a purpose. Weird, I know."

Their eyes met again and at last, Hotch nodded. "Thank you very much. We appreciate all your help."

"Get well," JJ wished as they started to head for the doors.

"Agents!" He called as loudly as he could. The two turned back, listening. "Have you heard from Matt at all since he left?"

JJ looked to Hotch with remorse, not wanting to lie about this. He didn't either, but if this man was to have every chance to live, he couldn't let his heart get out of control. "When you do... just tell him I'm okay. I don't want him to worry... and that I love him and I'll see him soon."

Neither wanted to admit how heartbreaking this was, that this man had to believe the love of his life was going to come back to him, when truly he was lying in a refrigerated drawer. He could never go back to the wonderful life they shared again. It wasn't fair, and it certainly wasn't right that some butcher came in and destroy lives for his own vendetta.

"We will," JJ assured. "Have a good day."

Porter relaxed against his pillow, his heart rate slowing down dramatically. He seemed to have drifted off into a heavy sleep, away from his pain and misery.

The two made it back to the hall. "Well... at least we found a little. And he might be able to describe the unsub to an artist."

"At least we proved Reid's theory." Hotch explained. "The unsub chose a case involving Russian immigrants trying to escape the mafia from their country, only for the husbands to watch their wives and children beaten to death before he's suffocated and body parts dropped a river. It's not a shallow grave, but he worked with what he could. He treated Klein and his boyfriend like a married couple."

"If Klein had stayed in town or if Porter Mills knew where he was, odds are the unsub would have waited until they were both together so Klein could watch his boyfriend's death. But, instead of wasting time trying to find him, the unsub altered his plans." JJ clarified. "So that's three cases that connect the three crimes... but how could Klein have known someone was coming for him."

"He couldn't have known the full story, otherwise he would have brought Mills along." Hotch retorted. "But he did know something... and he knew his life was in danger. The problem is, unless there's a solid connection between these three, there's no way to tell if someone else may suspect who's next. Let alone if we can do it."

"Maybe it's not a solid connection." JJ announced. "We know Klein and Winslow were connected via their partnership... so... maybe Lovefield was somehow connected to one of them... or someone else that's in danger who's connected to them."

It was enough to go on for now. Still, though, JJ found it unsettling, knowing how easily another agent could be chosen by this madman.

"Do you think he has someone else in mind already?" JJ asked, unable to hide how troubled she was.

Hotch didn't want to frighten her, but that was difficult. Seeing as how he was frightened himself. As the unit chief of the BAU, he felt responsible for each member of his team, and he'd be damned if he let some demented soul take any of them away to fufill some twisted fantasy.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully. "Let's stop him so we never have to know."

She certainly had no indifference to that statement, and doubted anyone else would, either.


	13. Rome

A/N: Okay, I have just spent the last few weeks slaving over each story to try to stay ahead of the game. I wanted each story to have two chapters ready before I posted a new chapter here, so sorry about the wait but, fingers crossed, updates should be a bit more regular now. Thanks for being so patient, guys. I appreciate it. :)

* * *

Sitting in his office, Rossi needed some time alone. He had to fight the urge to reach into his desk and pull out that bottle of scotch he kept stashed in the bottom drawer. He'd have to wait until after hours before he could indulge in that little luxury. For now, he sat quietly, unable to stop his mind from running over the memories he longed to black out forever.

A buzz on his desk roused him from his deep thoughts, bringing him back to Earth. He picked up the phone and smiled at the name. For fear of being discovered, he'd listed the ambassador as simply Lizzie. Just in case one of the team might see. The last thing he needed was news to get back to Emily. That was a conversation best put off. Right now, he wasn't really sure what was going to happen between him and Elizabeth Prentiss, but even if it turned out to be just a fling, he knew he couldn't keep it from Emily forever. However, he sensed it wouldn't be something so superficial... he'd had many flings and none of them felt like this.

A slight second of guilt struck him as, through the blinds of his office, he spotted Emily coming into the bull pen. She was chasing after Morgan, and from the looks of it, they were in the middle of some heated discussion. None of his business, and answered the phone.

"Good morning, Ambassador," Rossi said. He'd been feeling so lousy since he found that case file, yet he couldn't help but smile at the giggle that resonated on the other end.

"It's more like good afternoon, wouldn't you say?" She said with a smile in her voice.

"My apologies," he replied, "I've been a bit sleep deprived lately."

The sultry sound of her voice on the other end made him forget how much he wanted a drink. He felt drunk enough just talking to her. "I know what you mean, and a woman my age can't afford to pull too many all-nighters."

"Well, that ruins a few of my immediate plans," he teased and chuckled with her this time. As he sighed, feeling a great weight lift from his shoulders, he spoke a bit more seriously. "So what are you doing?"

"Oh..." she hesitated a bit, "just a bit of spring cleaning of sorts."

He was concerned at the hollowness of her voice, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," she answered solemnly. "I could use a pretty stiff drink right now, that's for sure."

"I know what you mean." Rossi answered.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked with the same amount of regard he'd just shown her. "Emily mentioned the BAU was in the middle of a serious case, is it a tough one?"

He hesitated, not intending to discuss this right now. "Yes, but that's... not what's bothering me, I've just been... thinking about something. Or I should say someone."

"Oh," she sensitively replied, "well, I'm here to listen if you'd like to talk about it."

Hotch and JJ were due back any minute. As soon as they did, team was set to gather in the conference room and hopefully start to make a productive dent in this case. Even if he wanted to discuss it, he didn't have time to go into any details. And there was so much to explain.

"Actually, I need to get back to work." He answered. "I shouldn't be here too late, though, if you want to grab some dinner. I know this excellent Greek restaurant not far from your hotel. It's usually difficult to get reservations, but I know the sous chef, I might be able to get us in."

"That sounds wonderful, I love Greek food." Elizabeth answered, the sensuality emerging through her sympathy, making Rossi feel very light headed again.

"Great, I'll pick you at 8." He smiled. "And then afterward... we could get some dessert somewhere."

She hummed in delight and responded. "The Van Buren has a very appetizing chocolate soufflé on their room service menu. I've been dying to try it."

Of course, he should have known that familiar delight of chocolate was a trait passed down. "Excellent. It's a date."

"David," she said softly, as if someone might overhear. She wasn't teasing anymore, "how's Emily today? I want to call her, but I'm afraid she won't pick up the phone, so... I thought I'd just ask you. How is she doing? Is she feeling alright?"

He glanced at the distraught young girl, standing in the open kitchenette. Reid had come in and was talking to her now, and they seemed almost as upset as she'd been with Morgan a moment ago. Rossi was really starting to get worried about this, wondering if he should head down there himself and find out what this was about. Maybe it wasn't wise for a superior to feel so protective of a subordinate agent, but Rossi didn't think of her like that. He cared about her more than following the guidelines of the FBI. From what he could tell, she also looked like she might be sick again, poor thing.

"Apart from a good amount of morning sickness, she seems to be doing alright. Mostly tired." He answered. "Don't worry, Lizzie, I'm sure she'll tell you soon."

"I hope so," Elizabeth muttered. "Because frankly, there is a thing or two I'd like to tell her if could get her to listen to me."

"Really?" he asked with mocking accusation. "I thought we were going to keep this private for the time being."

She giggled again, feeling very much like a young school girl. "I wasn't referring to you, actually."

"Good, I like being your dirty little secret." He growled. "I'll see you for dinner."

"If we make to dinner." She flirted, and a moment later he heard the call end. Rossi smiled as he put the phone down. He felt in much better spirits now, and with that thought, headed out of his office, ready to face the rest of his day. It was much easier, knowing what he had to look forward to.

It was certainly wrong, getting intimately involved with the ambassador like this. It jeopardized his objectivity in the case, the BAU's professional relationship with the State Department, and most importantly, the friendship with a person he cared deeply about, but Rossi knew he couldn't stop himself. He found he was already heavily addicted to Lizzie and even these few hours apart since this morning was agony. He couldn't wait to be with her again. It wasn't even about great sex or having company in the cold hours of the night. It was more than that. He felt better when he was with her; better than he'd felt in a long time.

The evening was a long time away and a lot of work was to be done if they were going to wrap up this case any time soon. He saw JJ and Emily walk past his door on the way to the conference room, and so went to follow.

* * *

Morgan and Emily returned to the unit, and tempers were high. He was having trouble wrapping his head around this, and despite all attempts from his partner, Morgan wouldn't say a word to her. Mostly, he just didn't know what to say, and that came off as anger.

Emily couldn't stand for this. He'd pulled away from her in the apartment once he concluded that Reid was the father of her baby. She didn't exactly confirm it, but her lack of denial was enough of a yes in his mind. He stared at her stunned for several minutes before he gave an exasperated shake of his head and stormed out of the bathroom. It was followed by the forceful slam of the front door. Emily wasn't sure whether to follow or finish profiling the apartment. Thinking they'd learned everything important, she left as well. Mostly, she was too afraid he'd leave without her in this bad part of town.

Now this was getting ridiculous and Emily wasn't sure what his emotions would lead him to do. Morgan wouldn't intentionally get his friends into trouble, but he had a hard time controlling his tongue when he was upset. Who knew what he might reveal?

"Morgan," Emily said as quietly as possible, following him to the break room. "Can we please just talk about this?"

Slowly, he turned, and in his eyes she saw the fury blaze there. But there was something else he wished he could hide. He was hurt, feeling forgotten and betrayed, and her guilt doubled before he even spoke.

"You told me you weren't together." He uttered softly, taking a step closer to her. "You swore to all of us there was nothing going on between the two of you. You told me to my face that it was over, that your feelings for him were gone. How could you lie like that?"

There wasn't exactly a simple answer to that. Even if they had the time to explain, Emily wasn't sure how to put it in the words. "It's complicated, Morgan," was the only answer she had any satisfaction with.

"That's all you have to say?" He wondered. "Emily... I get you wanted to keep it quiet, but damnit... you could have told me! Not hit me off guard like this when you're throwing up from morning sickness."

"Okay, you're acting like I'm carrying _your _baby." She hissed, wary of their open surroundings. "You have to realize what a delicate situation we were in. The less who knew, the better! And honestly, you were never that supportive in the first place, how was I supposed to know I could trust you?"

His jaw fell as his ear rang with her hurtful words. "You put your life in my hands every day... and you think you can't trust me?"

"Morgan, you made it pretty clear two years ago you didn't want me and Spencer together." She insisted.

"Oh," he uttered with a mock laugh. "So he's _Spencer_ now, is he?"

Emily wouldn't be distracted. "You were very bothered by the two of us together. You weren't supportive about anything and when I was trying to get over him, your only advice was to just... move on. Like I was some stupid girl with a crush!"

"Prentiss, Reid was sick! He had amnesia, he couldn't understand what he was feeling. And that was pretty evident when his memory came back and he didn't love you."

A laugh erupted from her as a loud 'ha'. "You know, you may not be as close a friend as you think, Morgan. I'm just saying."

Not picking up on any hint, he pressed his thought further. "He wasn't the same person you fell in love with. I told you back then..." he shook his head, still unbelieving she would shut him out like this, "I told you there was nothing I'd want more than my two best friends to find happiness... especially if they could find it together. Did you really think I wouldn't be there for you? I may have told you to move on, but that was because I believed there couldn't be anything real between you two. Last summer, when you two came back from the cabin... and we were all sure there was something more between you and him..."

He shook his head, unable to finish his thought. Regret and disgrace, two of the most foul emotions, settled in with the guilt and Emily nodded. "Okay, yes, we did lie about that, but... there was a reason. Things were a little rocky between us after we dealt with Sutter. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to stay in the country after that, let alone stay with Reid... I was in love with him and it scared me so... it's too exhaustive to get into right now."

"Well, it's about to get a lot worse." He added. "How is Reid even dealing with this, he's got to be terrified out of his genius mind. I mean, Reid as a father? Do you really think that's going to work?"

She choked on her words a moment. It was one thing for Reid to doubt himself, he was the one having a baby, but Morgan... did he see something she was too blind to. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying the kid's not exactly Robert Young." He clarified. "He never had a really good role model, he's been abandoned by ever father he's ever known, and he barely likes kids. I think Henry's the only exception."

Hearing that made her heart pound painfully. "I think you underestimate him."

"I think you're overestimating. And there are other problems here. What about the team, did you even think about that? What's that going to do to us? Strauss is going to tear us apart, we'll be lucky if we're all working the same building anymore, let alone as a team."

Emily struggled to argue. Her emotions were right on the surface now. Her throat was becoming too tight with the threat of tears and her stomach was churning. She managed to sputter out, "Why am I getting all the blame for this? I didn't tie Reid up and force myself upon him! He's just as much responsible for this! And he needs his friend right now, not someone accusing him of all the things we did wrong... and of all the things you think he can't do!"

He saw the glowing tears in her eyes, and Morgan didn't like the fact he was making her cry. It did, however, pale in comparison to the fact that his friends had been lying to him for months about their relationship. He was so close to both Emily and Reid, yet they didn't confide in him. They didn't even try. Neither felt he could be trusted with their secret... and after all they'd been through together. That hurt.

Reid seemed to appear out of nowhere, injecting himself into the conversation. "Hey, guys. What's going on? How was the crime scene?"

Morgan couldn't bring himself to look at him. Emily could have easily gotten out of this before, but if Reid were in the know, it was much more complex. Hopefully, things could be cleared up with minimal bloodshed.

"I need to make a call." Morgan lied, needing to get away. Stepping past the two, he left the break room and stepped out of the glass doors, heading to his office.

Reid was alarmed at his sudden departure, turning to Emily. She was pale and a sheen of perspiration appeared on her forehead. He wished there was a place he could take her to lie down, but even if they had it, that might alert too much suspicion. Why would one of the toughest agents of the FBI suddenly be too weak in the middle of the day?

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. There was an involuntary twitch of his arm, wanting to pull her into his embrace. It wasn't wise here, though. Where anyone in the unit could see. Not too busy right now, but enough prying eyes for them to be easily seen.

"Just a little nauseous." She uttered, so upset she couldn't even force a real smile. It was too much to tell him what had just happened. Once they were alone and she felt calm again, she'd be able to tell him.

He worried she wasn't dealing with this pregnancy too well. He'd never spent any personal time with a pregnant woman before, so it was difficult to tell if this were normal. Even if he had, Emily wasn't at a prime age to have a child, her body might not be adjusting as well as a twenty year old would. The sooner she was taken care of, the better. This seemed like the perfect time to talk about it.

"Well, you're in luck." He smiled. "While the others took a lunch break, I made some calls and got a list of some of the best obstetricians in DC. Now, as you know, I don't particularly like using the internet, but I couldn't enlist Garcia to do my work this time, so instead, I made some inquiry calls. I looked into each of them, but frankly, I wasn't too impressed. However, I was recommended to a doctor in Baltimore with impeccable credentials. She's British, she studied at Cambridge, and she even went to Yale medical school. I knew that would be a pro with you."

The shock that he'd done that in the amount of time she'd been gone was astounding. Normally, he was too focused on a case to even take a lunch break. Sometimes, they had to force him to eat. He really was dedicated to finding the best doctor for her. This wasn't just making up for a fight, he wanted to take care of her. It made her fight with Morgan feel like a bad dream. Spencer loved her and he loved their baby, even if he didn't know how much yet.

"She's in very high demand, but I called her and tricked the assistant into letting me speak to her." He told.

Not too surprising for the genius, but Emily was still intrigued. "How did you trick her?"

"I, uh..." he hesitated, "might have used my status in academia a bit unethically. While nothing I said was a lie, I told her who I was and I worked for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. She patched me right through."

"Only, you're not an agent who needs a consult. You're an expectant father." Emily mentioned, trying not to smile.

"Yes, she wasn't very pleased at my means of getting in touch with her." He said, his cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink. "But, I told her about you and..." he was very excited about this, pleased at the rewards of his efforts, "she's very willing to take you as a new patient. I think your age intrigued her, it's usually a high risk pregnancy, so she felt your needs were better suited than a younger woman."

"My age?" She uttered with a flash of her eyes.

Reid still hadn't gotten the hang of not being so blunt. He often mentioned to Emily how old she was as well as the age difference between the two. He meant no harm by it, but it was disconcerting.

"Well, I... I... had to give her a full medical history." He tiptoed through the minefield of words, not wanting to say anything else offensive and have everything blow up in his face. "Anyway, she patched me back to the assistant and said there was an opening next Thursday. I didn't hesitate to make the appointment."

"Whoa, Spencer!" Emily hissed, looking around as if afraid they suddenly had an audience. "You just picked a doctor for me when I haven't heard anything about her? That's not fair!"

"She's an excellent doctor." Reid said, deflated. He thought she'd be happier about this. "She came highly recommended."

"That may be, but I don't know her!" Emily exclaimed in disbelief. "And I don't want to drive all the way to Baltimore every time I have a doctor's appointment. What happens when I go into labor?"

"We'll..." He hadn't thought that far. Reid was mostly concerned with finding adequate care. He hadn't been sure what exactly to look for, but someone with this woman's background couldn't be trifled with. It seemed perfect. All the other details would be dealt with in time. "We'll... work something out."

She sighed, not wanting to get upset. This had been hard enough on him, and it meant so much that he took all this time and effort "I appreciate it, Spencer, but... I kind of had my heart set on my gynecologist. She's taken care of me for years, she knows me, I've heard she's a great obstetrician I'd rather be with someone I'm comfortable with. Please understand that."

He should have just given in. Accepted that, apologized for overstepping his boundaries, and move on. They would have been much happier. Instead, however, Reid always let his bitter emotions get the better of him, and scowled a bit. "I don't know her, though."

"You're not the one who's carrying the baby." Indicated Emily. "I love that you want to help, but I get to make final calls here, Spencer. You need to accept that now if this is going to work."

Slightly irate, Reid said, maybe a little louder than was wise. "So, even though it is my baby, I don't get a say in anything?"

As she opened her mouth to reply, the chime of the elevator sounded. Straining her neck a bit, she saw Hotch and JJ had returned and were heading this way. They didn't have much time to wrap this up. "Of course you get a say, don't act like that! We're going to need to make a lot of compromises over the next few months, we can't get upset about every little thing."

He, too, spotted their friends heading in and knew their conversation was at an end. He needed to put some distance between him and her, anyway. Stepping back, Reid uttered in their last moments of privacy, "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be doing the majority of the compromising?"

She gaped in wonderment as he stepped away, far too out of range for her to reply. He bounded up the steps two at a time, not even bothering to glance her way as he rushed to the conference room.

JJ sensed something afoot as she walked over, just in time to see Reid rush away. "Hey," she said kindly. "Everything okay?"

Emily's stomach was churning. All she wanted was to go home. "Fabulous," she uttered. "How'd you guys make out at the hospital?"

"We learned quite a bit." She answered. "Hotch wants everyone to gather in the conference room. Walk up with me?"

Silently, Emily nodded and following her to the steps. She could see Rossi hanging up his cell, seated peacefully in his office and she thought longingly of disappearing in there with him. She could talk everything out with him, pouring out her angst just as her stomach wanted to pour out whatever remained inside, if anything. He could help her through this, how Morgan was making this about him instead of trying to be there for her and Reid's mind seemed to be too twisted about this whole thing to see clearly. She knew Rossi would be there for her no matter what, because David Rossi unfailingly cared about Emily, and would never do anything to hurt her.

* * *

It wasn't a secret there was a riff going on between some of their team members, the way Emily deliberately chose a seat on the other side of the table instead of the empty one next to Morgan, or how Reid hurried to the bulletin board without looking at anyone. The tension in the air was as heavy as a humid summer day, and no one knew the best way to bring attention to it. If that were the right thing at all.

Rossi sat down next to Morgan, trying to catch Emily's eye. She refused to look, too afraid she'd burst into tears once they made contact. Weeks ago, it wouldn't be a problem, but her emotions were slipping rapidly from her grasp and could easily get out of her control. She sensed that wasn't going to get better with time.

While Hotch sensed the distress, he knew it was better for everyone to focus on work. They were nothing if not professional. As the group settled at the round table, they each in turn began to spill out the evidence they'd discovered, laying it out for all to share, and attempted to piece it together.

"So Reid's theory does seem to fit." JJ mentioned, glancing at the others. "Each agent was murdered in a manner that matched a former case of theirs."

"It still feels so random, though." Morgan contradicted. "Yeah, it's too coincidental not to be these cases, but what makes the unsub choose each one in the first place? Does he have some master list of which agents to strike, and if he does, how long did he work on that to find people who qualify? Or, could it just be people he's had run ins with?"

There was a marker swirling expertly in Reid's hand as he stood before the large map of Washington DC, beside it was another one of the district of Quantico. He hadn't made any marks yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't outstandingly busy, his mind working at a dizzying speed.

And yet, he still managed to listen to the conversation around him. Even voice his own opinion. "Not impossible, but rather improbable. The three did work for the FBI, so the odds their paths have crossed the subsequential path of one single person are, while comprehensive, aren't preposterous. However, this person could be so indiscernible, we wouldn't even be able to learn his name."

"If he did know them well enough to know they worked for the Bureau, it's possible he saw them on a regular basis." Hotch declared. "Garcia, you should comb through all the personnel files of everyone who works in the building, including maintenance staff, security, and housekeeping."

"I'm on it, sir." Garcia revealed. "I'm still trying to track down Lovefield's former partner, but there's no luck yet. There's no record of what happened to him after he left the Bureau, it's almost like he disappeared."

Morgan looked to Rossi with curiosity, "You knew Lovefield pretty well back then, did you know his partner?"

He thought for a moment, "I can't remember his name. Lovefield didn't work and play well with others, so he went through a lot of partners. They probably got into a lot of fights and eventually, the camel's back broke."

That was curious. As Reid began to draw on the map of the city, Hotch asked Garcia, "Is there a designation when Lovefield wasn't paired up with him anymore?"

"Uh..." she typed a few keywords and the answer appeared before her. "1987... oh... that was the same year this case went cold."

"Wait, the case was never solved?" Emily wondered, surprised. "Were the other cases like that, Reid?"

Three major circles had been made with precision and he stepped back to study them. At her question, Reid turned, putting all his resentment down in order to appear neutral. Indeed, his only concern appeared to be from being pulled away from his work.

"No," he answered. "Winslow's unsub is finishing out a sentence for a different crime and Klein's was put into Witness Protection in order to roll over on other members of the crime family."

Rossi, however, was confused. "Garcia are you sure the case is cold? I could have sworn that case was solved."

She paused for a moment in disbelief he would doubt her. It was more conceivable the eldest of their team was becoming senile than for the all knowing technical goddess to be wrong.

"It's written right here, sir." She indicated. "And it's in the file. The unsub was never caught and, after a year, it was declared cold."

"Lovefield talked to me about that killer. They had a suspect and all the evidence pointed at him." He announced, thinking back. Oh, it had been so long ago and the facts were fuzzy. It could be possible he was crossing the facts of two different investigations... but he didn't think so. The BAU didn't even have an official name yet, but Lovefield believed in the work of profiling enough to entrust the adept David Rossi to look into the facts and give his opinion. Some time later, when Lovefield said the case was over... he assumed that meant closed. Wouldn't he have told him it was cold? Perhaps even asked for help? At the time, it would be years before Rossi would sleep with his wife, so there wasn't bad blood between them yet. Lovefield would have trusted him... unless something else stopped him.

"We're missing something," he announced. "That case should have been solved, how could it possibly have gone cold?"

"You don't think it's the same guy doing this?" Morgan asked. That sounded much too unbelievable.

"No, no, this unsub's new. This MO is all over the place, following the works of others. The unsub in Lovefield's case was a sociopath and a narcissist, he'd never look to someone else as a role model."

"But someone certainly used him." Emily couldn't help but mention.

Rossi had a sudden epiphany. Maybe they didn't need the partner. Perhaps another source would yield fresher. "Garcia... I want you to look at any suspects they arrested for this. Find out where they are now. The real unsub has to be among them and if we can talk to him... maybe he'll give us a clue to what went wrong in that case."

Don't you think you're fishing a bit, Dave?" Hotch questioned, knowing how unlikely this sounded. Rossi was the original profiler, but sometimes his instincts just seemed too far fetched. "If the unsub even is close by, what makes you think he'll give us any information?"

"It's not about getting information." Rossi insisted. "It's knowing if there's information to give."

JJ spoke up, flipping through Klein's former case file. "Hey, I have a question. Did any of these cases ever get a lot of publicity?"

"Hang on, Sugar Plum, patience is a virtue." Garcia requested. Her fingers went at it on the keyboard. After a few minutes of feverish typing, she paused. "Well, the crime family Klein was investigating took up a lot of the limelight, that wasn't the same thing. Okay... yes, Winslow's got a lot of attention... and it seemed her unsub was announced in front page news when he was caught, however when he was released... oh, yeah, isn't that typical. They buried it on page 23 underneath the Want Ads."

A light bulb seemed to go on over Morgan's head. "Someone screwed up." He announced.

With wide eyes, she pursed her lips at him. "I know you're not talking about me, Pudding Pop."

"Of course not, Baby Girl," he bantered back. "I mean someone involved in the investigation. Some technicality like they mislabeled some evidence or they forgot to read him Miranda. When they couldn't get him for the murders, they got him on a lesser charge. Not as long in prison, but enough to get him incarcerated for a time."

"Hmm," Reid simply said, and left it at that. He still stared at the three separate circles on the map, as if trying to find a picture hidden within the picture.

The others waited for long minutes for him to continue, but it was like his mind drifted off again, as it tended to do all too often. At last, Hotch inquired, "Do you have something you want to share, Reid?"

"And you mind explaining what you're doing over there, with your geographical voodoo?" Garcia added.

He looked to the others, unaware he'd even spoken out loud. "I'm just trying to find an overlap between the crime scenes. All three were supposed to be killed in their homes, but even with the typical radius a person uses in their daily routines, there isn't a bit of overlap. No matter how I look at it or try to deduce a new solution to the equations, there isn't a solid answer, there is no chance of regular intersection."

"Porter did refer to Winslow as 'Debbie'." JJ voiced. "Just as Garcia always called her Deb; that has to mean they were good friends. Their lives would have intersected all the time."

"But if none of their routines overlapped, then there isn't a significant spot the unsub would find them... except within the Bureau." Reid voiced, putting a cap on his marker. "It's someone within the walls of this institution, but not necessarily inside the building, who's targeting them."

"That's a long list of people." Hotch declared.

Reid shrugged. "It really shouldn't take more than a couple hours to organize, a little more than that in order to arrange the different categorizations."

"What categories are there, exactly?" Wondered JJ with bewilderment.

He opened his mouth to answer, no doubt eagerly, but Morgan interrupted, holding her back metaphorically with his hand. "Hold it, JJ, do you really want to know the answer to that."

She gave a chuckle. "Now that I think about it, no. I don't."

While Reid gave an annoyed glare at both of them, Hotch gave a defeated sigh. "There's no chance we're going to be able to form a profile right now, there's too many variables we can't account for. Not to mention, since Lovefield's death, the unsub hasn't stayed dormant for long. He's likely to strike again fairly soon... my guess would be tonight."

"And there's no way to tell where." Garcia uttered. She gave a bit of a shuddered. "That's bone chilling."

"It feels wrong we don't warn anyone." JJ said. "At least send out an email."

"And risk the unsub knowing we're on his trail?" Morgan asked. "I don't think so, Jay. He'll go into the wind and come back when we least expect it."

"We can, however, put Strauss on alert. She'll want to be in the know about this." Hotch said. "As for us, I say we take a little break and come back to brainstorm what to do next."

They were all in agreement, and went to step out. Emily as grateful she was feeling a bit better, though the nausea hadn't faded yet. Once she got up to move, it was sure to come back full force.

She caught Morgan's eye as she stood, but he didn't say any word to her, slipping out the door. He was obviously angry with her, but at the moment she didn't care. Frankly, she wasn't his biggest fan at the moment, either.

The others left one by one, eager to stretch their legs and shut their brains off, if only for a few minutes. The only people who didn't seem to be moving were Reid, whom it wasn't even certain knew they were taking a break, and Rossi, who appeared very comfortable right where he was. He gave no indication he was getting up any time soon.

Her phone buzzed as he stepped out the door, distracting her. Emily felt a twist of dread in her gut as she spotted a text from her mother. Her mother wasn't a very big texter, always spelling out her words and taking ages to answer back one message, but she knew her daughter would be more likely to read one than answer a phone call. At least this way, she knew Emily could hardly pretend to be too busy to read it for days on end, and then how much more effort would it be to answer?

"What's going on?" Reid wondered as he stepped over. He was speaking kindly, his tone light and soft, but even she knew he was just keeping up appearances.

"My mother," she uttered. "She wants me to call her at my earliest convenience. I guess one dinner wasn't enough."

Before he knew what he was doing, Rossi gave a shrug and wondered, "Come on, is it so bad you spend some time with your mother?"

That was unexpected. Since when did he take her side. With a teasing laugh, however, she said, "I think I'd rather have a root canal, Rossi, honestly. Maybe you could take my place with her, you two just might hit it off."

If only she hadn't been joking... although, it did make him feel less reprehensible about this. Guilt, the curse of his Catholic upbringing, and even the smallest alleviation was a blessing.

At last, Reid turned and set his marker down, ready to take a break himself. He needed to tear his eyes away every once in a while, if he were to be as productive as possible. As he walked over, Emily set her phone aside, ready to greet him, perhaps even talk a few things out. It might be a little awkward with Rossi in the room, but then again, it might help to have a buffer.

Diving into his work had helped him feel better, but as their gazes met, all that negativity flooded back. His heart was a plethora of emotions right now and he didn't know how to voice any of them. Mostly, he was so terrified about... well, everything. This case itself teetered on top of the pile, and despite the danger, it paled in comparison to all his new fears. Becoming a father, being responsibility for Emily's health and protection. Reid had no idea what kind of provider he would be for his family, but he wanted to be a good one. He'd tried to find Emily the right doctor, but all his effort and enthusiasm had been wrong and he ended up crossing a line. Now he'd lost his confidence and wasn't sure what exactly Emily wanted from him as a provider now... if she wanted him to be a provider at all. Just because she loved him didn't mean she needed to rely on him.

Until he dug through all this and understood what it meant, he couldn't be around her. "Listen... I'm going to have a lot to do tonight with... all this categorization. Maybe it's best if I just sleep at my place."

Rossi was amazed. Not since the middle of last summer had Reid and Emily spent a night apart, not while being in town. His eyes darted between the two like he were following a tennis match, trying to determine what was going on. Probably just a rough patch, they were common when a couple was expecting for the first time... but that didn't mean it wasn't cause for concern.

Hearing that stung her like a knife through the heart and she willed herself not to get upset. Emily had been through the ringer today. She was sick and tired and angry and hurt, not to mention worried and bothered her mother wouldn't leave her alone. She did not want to be alone tonight. She needed love and comfort from the man she adored, not trying to sleep in a bed she hadn't spent a night alone in for half a year.

"Fine," she answered, unable to swallow her pride. Emily Prentiss was much too stubborn for her own good and if she wasn't careful, it would be the end of her. "I'm sure you'll have a very productive evening. Uh... I have to call my mother."

The perfect excuse to get away. Snatching up her phone, she hurried from the room, looking at neither man for fear she'd break down.

Reid had thought she'd argue, and maybe a part of him was hoping for it. It seemed they did need a night apart. They hadn't had any time to themselves since they made up the other night, and with all the work on this new, intense case, he hadn't a real chance to clear his head.

Rossi couldn't help but ask. "Trouble in paradise?"

He wasn't ready to talk about it, or anything he was feeling. With a shake of his head, he twitched his mouth in his nervous manner, avoiding the questioning eyes focused on him. Needing an excuse to leave, he uttered, "I'm going to get some coffee," slipping out before the older man could respond.

* * *

Meanwhile, JJ needed to call Will. Henry had been doing better today, he'd even slept through the night, but she just wanted to call in and be sure. After she'd hung up - at ease that her little boy was on the mend - she went to grab some coffee and relax in the break room until the others were ready to get back to work.

Turning the corner, she looked in surprise at the scene. Standing at the restrooms was Garcia, leaning against the door as she opened it just a crack, just enough to listen to the sounds inside.

"Uh, Penelope," JJ said in a patronizing tone. "Some people don't like that."

"Shh!" She hissed, glancing at her, resealing the door to block out their conversation. "You have no idea what's going on in there."

"I have some idea." Her friend answered as she stood beside. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing, I just happened to notice the lovely Miss Emily Prentiss run in there with a hand over her mouth and she has yet to come back out." She announced in an excited whisper.

JJ's eyes light up with excitement. "Is she getting sick in there?"

"Either that or someone better call the Exorcist." She quipped.

"Oh my God, that explains it." JJ said in awe. She'd had a suspicion, but it wasn't until now her feelings were all but confirmed.

"Pardon?" Garcia inquired, turning back to her.

With a smile, JJ uttered, "Emily asked me the other day... if I was happy being a mother. I mean, that's not a typical question someone asks... unless she's in the same predicament I was.

Garcia couldn't help but squeal with delight, backing away from the door. "Oh, this is too much! I have to know who the father is."

"Let's handle this one thing at a time, Garcia. Until she confirms it, we shouldn't just assume she's pregnant... although it does feel like all roads lead to Rome."

"What are you, nuts?" She cried. "She's pregnant, she must be scared out of her mind! If there was ever a time a girl needs her BFFs, it's now!"

"And Emily does need us, but she deals with things in her own way, you know we can't push her. If we corner her about this, she's going to feel overwhelmed and out numbered, and I don't think upsetting a pregnant woman is wise. Let's just wait for her to come to us, it'll be better that way."

"Ugh," Garcia pouted. She really hated waiting. "Fine... we'll give her some space... though I'd still like to know who this mystery lover whom she can't keep her mind off of is."

JJ laughed a bit, unable to stop from thinking. This man had been in her life for half a year now, and if he was as important as Emily claimed... there had to be some evidence about him somewhere. Surely Garcia could find something in her phone or financial records, but that seemed a little over the top... maybe a clue would reveal itself if they gave it a little time. After all... Rome wasn't built in a day.


	14. A Little Blood Spill

The team had disbanded late in the evening, hoping a break and a good night's rest would present the case in a new light the next morning. It couldn't have come sooner to Rossi, who dredged through the day impatiently, unable to get his mind to focus. He was desperate to be free of this place, knowing what was ahead of him. He'd never felt so excited to be with another person; the hours spent apart from her were agony.

Elizabeth and Rossi had spent a wonderful evening together. Dinner at Salonika's as promised, where the hours slipped away from them until they realized the staff were waiting impatiently to close. The night was clear and cool and the couple decided to walk back from the hotel. It wasn't far, allowing their conversation to continue at a leisurely pace. They walked down the streets of the city, his hand finding its way into hers, and she clasped it back warmly. It was like a cathartic experience, just to walk and hold hands and take every passing second they could for themselves.

It just turned midnight as Rossi let out a contented sigh. The room was dark with nothing but the glow of the room through the high rise window of the hotel. He held the soft body of the ambassador in his arms with her head on his chest, both just relaxing in the afterglow of their love making. The rest of the world didn't exist.

Picking her head up, her disheveled dark brown hair wafted around her, and she gave him a smile. "What are thinking about?" She hushed.

Rossi normally hated that question after sex, but coming from her, it warmed his beating heart. "I just can't remember the last time it felt good to be with someone... tonight's been wonderful. It feels like ages since someone truly wanted to talk with me... listen to me, share ideas and experiences with me."

She giggled lightly, her finger tracing a trail on the hair of his chest. "I know what you mean. It's so easy to talk to you, I've never had that with another man... even my husband at our best."

"How long have you been divorced?" Rossi wondered.

She let out a sigh, having to think for a moment. "About thirty years, I've kind of lost track. Emily was pretty young at the time, I don't think she even remembers all three of us living together."

"Emily's only mentioned her father to me once or twice." He revealed. "She said she lived with him for a while as a teenager, but she's never told me anything about him... I've always been curious on that situation, but I knew better than to ask."

Elizabeth sat up a bit more, adjusting herself to slide up in the sheets, wanting to be closer to him. Resting her head on his shoulder, Rossi wrapped her up tighter, keeping her close.

"Emily doesn't know much about the situation, to be honest." She answered. "It's not something that's easy for me to talk about... trust me, if it wasn't for the fact he gave me my daughter, I'd want nothing to do with Grayson Prentiss in the least."

Rossi was intrigued, sitting back a bit to listen to the story. Elizabeth avoided his eyes, even though they were difficult to make out in the darkness. As she spoke, there was great sound of relief in her voice, like she'd been anxious to talk about this since it happened.

"I met my ex in college. I was a freshman, he was a senior preparing for law school. I'd spent so much of my life preparing to go to college. My mother had gone to Wellesley and I'd almost gone there myself until Yale started to admit women a few years before I graduated high school. I worked very hard to prove I was worthy to go there, that I was as smart and capable as any man... while Grayson never worked a day in his life. His father donated a building to the school and ensured his son a secured academic career."

"That must have made you mad." Rossi mentioned.

"Thinking back now, it should have." She answered. "But I was young, I was..."

"Stupid?" Rossi suggested.

In the darkness, he could see her playful scowl. "I was going to say innocent... but stupid does seem to fit. I was taken in by Grayson's charm and handsome face... oh, he was like something carved out of marble... that smile that made me weak in the knees and that kiss that could make me do anything. And I mean anything."

As most people did, she wanted to retch at how foolish she'd been in her younger days. Not seeing the signs of trouble when they were right before her. "You can probably guess that Grayson was privileged, through and through. A trust fund kid who could do anything he wanted and get away with it. He partied, slept with girl after girl, constantly broke the law... and his daddy always came through to clean up his mess... even me."

He feared what that might mean. Men of limitless means would do anything to get what they wanted, not caring who they hurt in the process. For reasons he couldn't explain, Rossi suddenly felt protective of both the woman in his arms and the daughter he knew so well.

"I had just turned nineteen when I got pregnant. Grayson and I had only been dating a few months." She continued, leaning on him, breathing in the intoxicating scent of his light cologne. "I told him about it and... he wasn't the man I thought he was. I didn't expect him to be happy, but he turned into this monster. He accused me of tricking him, saying I wanted to ruin his career and take his family's money. He said it was the only reason why beautiful girls went to college: to land a husband. My eyes were wide open in that moment and seeing a lot more than I cared to about the boy who had enchanted me so much. I told him I wanted nothing to do with him... this baby and I were on our own. I was terrified, but... I don't know, somehow I felt we would be okay. Just me and her, against the changing world..." He felt her smile on the flesh of his shoulder. "I just knew I was going to have a little girl."

While Rossi had spent the last few days getting to know Lizzie, it suddenly occurred to him how much he was getting to know Emily's mother... the one she'd been so detached and isolated from for so long. He'd pictured Emily's mother in a way that couldn't possibly connect with the loving, passionate soul in his arms. Yet, it was true. This was Elizabeth Prentiss and she loved her daughter.

She gave a slow swallow, as if taking a moment to gather her thoughts. While this was a time in her life long past her, it was still difficult to relive the memories, as the hardest times always were. "To this day, I think it would have been better if Grayson had just kept it secret. If he didn't want to be involved, he shouldn't have told anyone... but I guess he was too afraid I'd go back on my word. His father came to my dorm to talk to me. I hadn't even told my parents, knowing how furious they would be. His father gave me an option. $50,000 and my tuition paid in full until I graduate if I went through with an abortion. Now, as I'm sure you've realized, this was the dawn of the seventies. Very few states had legalized abortion, and that was typically for special circumstances. I was appalled at the very thought, but he assured me it would be alright. He had connections, it would be done privately and safely. No one ever had to know. But I refused... I was already in love with my baby, I couldn't give her up. I thought he accepted it. He left without argument and I... thought it was over. I was free of Grayon Prentiss and could move on. If my parents didn't accept this, I'd figure out a way to take care of her..." She looked up to him, finding the glow of his eyes in the soft moonlight. "And I would have."

"Oh, I know you would." He said with a smile. If Elizabeth was anything like her daughter, she would have done anything to make it happen, and may the Lord have mercy to who stood in her way.

It was amazing. This man seemed to really understand her. "But I wasn't free... Grayson's father contacted my parents. They were furious I didn't tell them... but it paled in comparison to their joy that one prominent family was about to join another. The Monahans and the Prentisses." She lowered her head again, thinking. "That's the thing about old money... they'll do anything to preserve it for the next generation. Marriage is supposed to be logical, two suitable matches that will hold the status in society. My parents and his parents were already making the arrangements before we even know what was going on. Grayson and I talked... we didn't want to get married, and this was in no way his idea... but his father threatened if a child of his was born out of wedlock, he'd be disowned. He'd lose his trust funds and be kicked out of the will. I personally couldn't care less about him losing his money, nor if my parents kicked me out as well... but I thought of my baby. I knew there wouldn't be many options for us if I ran away. We'd wind up in some shabby apartment at best, and I'd have to find work as a waitress or housekeeper. I'd work long hours to put food on the table and lose all my money to sitters. I'd barely be able to see her and what kind of future would that give her? She'd never go to college, she'd never be successful... I'd be lucky if she finished high school, what with all the bad influence that could get to her. If I went through with the marriage, however... she'd have a chance, a future. She'd be safe and protected and taken care of. She'd want for nothing... what kind of mother would I be if I didn't do everything possible to give my daughter a good life."

Rossi squeezed her a bit with affection. "That was very brave of you. Even the best of parents sometimes can't give up what they want for the sake of their children."

She rested her head on him, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice. At first, Grayson and I decided to make the best of a bad situation. I thought maybe this could work out. We had a beautiful wedding and... the honeymoon was really wonderful. We had so much fun. When we got home, he started law school and I went to school as long as I could. It put a bit of a strain on us, but we were still in good standing. I could tell Grayson had never been given much affection, so showing it was difficult for him, but he was still trying. I was able to overlook his initial reaction to all this and focus on our new life and the start of our family. Four months after the wedding, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and I couldn't have been happier... and Grayson couldn't hide his disappointment. This sacrifice would have meant something if we'd had a boy. Months of effort and all he'd gotten out of it was a worthless daughter."

She felt David shift beside her and picked her head up a moment. At first, she thought he was getting bored with her story, but in the darkness, she could just make out the contorted expression on his face... as if he were angry at Grayson for denying his daughter. Elizabeth didn't know him well enough yet, unsure if that was for his affection for Emily or appalled that a man could reject his daughter like that. He did mention a daughter of his own, after all... but most men probably weren't so protected of their daughters like that.

"Over the next few years, we tried to make a marriage work for the sake of our families... for the sake of our daughter. Emily was such a... an amazing little girl. She was so full of life and spirit, she saw beauty everywhere. I just adored her so much, but I was so focused on finishing school and then starting my career, I barely got to spend any time with her. She was mostly with the nanny, who was about as affectionate with her as a ghost. Her father hardly acknowledged her when she was in the room, going days without even seeing her. Looking back now, I wish I hadn't been so obsessed with my work... Emily needed me... and I just drove her away."

A week ago, if the subject came up, Rossi would never believe Emily's mother was so tormented at the distance between them. Now, though, as he learned more and more about Elizabeth, he could see the pain she was in. Wanting desperately to go back and fix the wrongs she'd done, to know what had driven her daughter away in the first place... and truly, it wasn't her fault at all.

"When Grayson's father died and he became the patriarch of the Prentisses, we both knew we were free. Not under the watchful eye of his family to maintain a perfect marriage." Elizabeth spoke with a bit of relish now, like a warrior telling of her victorious battle. "Miraculously, we stayed married for eight more months before I demanded a divorce. The Ukraine Ambassador offered me a place on his staff. I went straight into Grayson's office that evening. I told him plainly I was taking the job and I was taking Emily with me. Needless to say, he didn't fight me in the least."

"He let Emily move in with him when she was fifteen." Rossi said, recalling her story of how she met her former stalker, Collin Sutter. "He must have had some affection towards her."

"As she got older, things changed a little. He got remarried to some socialite, but it turned out she was slightly less fertile than me." She tried to hide her gloating smirk. It wasn't polite after all. "Once he realized Emily would be his only flesh and blood, he did find her as asset. He had to keep her in good standing with him if she were going to take over the family estate someday, and by take over, I mean marry someone exceedingly important and wealthy that Grayson could pass everything on to. This was long before she knew her life's work would lead her to law enforcement. She was never meant for the society life, no matter how much we tried to push her."

"We were living in Italy at the time... and Emily was a typical teenager. Ever since she turned 13, her attitude became hostile towards me. Picking fights so we'd wind up screaming at each other, started breaking the rules left and right, oh, she used to make me so angry. I think she felt very lost, always moving around, never really having a place to call home. She needed someone to take that out on and I was too wrapped up in my career to take the time to make her feel better. That's what a mother is supposed to do... but maybe a part of me felt I sacrificed enough for her, and now it was my time. Selfish, I know... a mother is supposed to give up everything if it means saving her child. Before I knew it... I lost her..." she paused a moment to hold back her tears, unable to stop a sob from escaping, "I don't know what happened, she was suddenly so quiet and distant, and very obedient. She' d take any command I gave her, yet she wouldn't even look at me. I was so afraid for her. So, when she came to me and said... she wanted to go to San Francisco to go live with her father... I feared if I refused her, she'd do something drastic. I contacted Grayson and I begged him to let Emily come live with him. He didn't like the idea, and he knew his wife would hate it, but as long as she didn't cause a problem, it would be fine. She had to do exactly what was expected of her. Stay out of trouble, work hard in school, and don't disrupt their routine. Emily agreed..."

Tears rolled onto Rossi's skin and he held back a shiver. Elizabeth leaned against him as she wept quietly. "It was like my daughter had died... it hurt so much to let her go, and once she was gone, I... I fought to accept it. I had to be as hard and cold as possible so no one would see my pain. Maybe someday, we could rebuild a relationship, and I thought we had a chance when she let me arrange her debutante party... not long after, she moved to London with me and I thought everything would be alright... but it just wasn't what it should have been... what I wanted. Now all we have are short phone conversations and the occasional awkward dinner, and I don't think it'll ever get better."

"Now, don't say that." Rossi assured, nudging her a bit to make her sit up. "Lizzie, you can't just give up. Emily's your child, you love her. From what I can see, you've done nothing but be a loving mother, who made incredible sacrifices to give her a good life. You've made some mistakes, but what parent hasn't? You deserve to be in her life more than anyone, especially if you want to change things between you, and if she won't let you right away, you need to fight her until she gives in."

"Emily's having a baby and she still hasn't told me." Elizabeth uttered as she wiped the tears from her eyes. All the tears she shed for her daughter over the years could make up the water of Red Sea.

"All the more reason!" Rossi cried. "Children are so damn stubborn, and Emily Prentiss takes the cake. It might take a while, but you have to wear her down. When it came to my daughter... nothing would have stopped me from getting to her."

Distracted from her pain a moment, Elizabeth eyed him carefully. "You did mention you had a daughter... what was her name?"

Instead of answering, Rossi thought carefully, "Why do you ask like that?"

"Like how?" She wondered, bewildered.

"In the past tense." He designated. "Like you already know she's dead."

Elizabeth didn't answer at first, trying to remain respectful and not sound tactless. "I just had a feeling, that's all... the way you referred to her... as if her age was moot because she wasn't alive."

Perhaps those profiling techniques that came so easily to Emily weren't from training at all. No surprise, the best profilers in the world were born with the knack to study behavior, and Emily's talent certainly came from her mother.

"You want the truth?" Rossi wondered.

"I think it's only fair." Elizabeth muttered as she leaned back on his arm. "I opened up to you about a painful part of my life, you could spill a little of the same blood."

She had a point. And anyway, Rossi didn't feel apprehensive over discussing this with her. Elizabeth would understand his pain. She would comfort him and care for him as no one else would, and he had no reason to feel so self-conscious. He could be vulnerable without fear of ridicule. A luxury he rarely had before meeting this woman at the hotel bar.

"I honestly don't know if she's dead." He declared, looking to her.

That was startling. Elizabeth was obviously bothered by that, pulling away just slightly as if the better to see him. How could be that be so?

And then, before he realized, Rossi launched into a story he had so long ago buried alive inside him. "Her name was Sophia... and she was my whole world, Lizzie... my absolute everything."

Elizabeth leaned down, listening to his baritone voice tell the story of his daughter. The love and joy of fatherhood, at the wonder that was his precious little girl... and the loss and heartache that would haunt him forever.

* * *

She'd spent the last half hour flossing her teeth. Emily never paid this much attention to her oral hygiene, but it was the last thing she could do to prolong the inevitable of sleeping in that bed alone.

She never did get in touch with her mother. She tried calling her about an hour ago, but there was no answer. Perhaps Elizabeth was already in bed, her sleep so deep, the ring of her phone wouldn't disturb her. Lucky. Emily didn't expect to sleep at all tonight. There was another person she could call... but he was busy. He didn't want to talk to her. If he did, he'd be here right now, wouldn't he?

Sergio nuzzled himself around her silky legs, urging her to go to bed so they could snuggle. The feline was completely unaware of the turmoil his mommy was in. Funny how he could sense she was pregnant before even Emily herself had any idea, yet couldn't tell when she was so heartbroken. She tossed another used piece of floss to the growing pile. Leaning on the porcelain sink, she took a moment to just stare into the mirror. As if the reflection would tell her what she was missing. Emily had hoped after they made up from their fight, things would go back to normal, but normal never seemed to hit. There was an aura of unrest between her and Spencer, and Emily had no idea how to make it lift. If they tried to talk about it, it could help, but it could also cause more problems. They could very well wind up in another blow out, this time so severe, they couldn't make amends. It made her nauseous to even think about.

Or maybe that was the baby, because ever since she came home, she'd been running back and forth to the toilet in order to be sick. It was so bad, she could only settle on a box of Saltines for supper, laying on her couch to ease her dizzy head and thought about Spencer... that perfect life together felt more and more like a fantasy. There might as well be unicorns and leprechauns in her dream because that seemed just as likely as the three as a perfect family.

Alright, she admitted it, she may have overreacted. Spencer had just been trying to help. He searched long and hard to find her such a great doctor and she didn't even thank him. Maybe she should make the compromise and see this doctor instead, to prove to him that she didn't expect him to make all the sacrifices. Hopefully, that would make things better.

There was no putting it off now. Switching off the bathroom light, Emily walked back to the master bedroom and went to pull down her covers. First thing in the morning, she'd pull Reid aside and work this out, because she sure as hell wasn't going to do this two nights in a row. She'd also have to make up with Morgan, but that was a lesser problem at the moment. It was understandable how he was feeling, but Morgan had to see their reasoning for keeping it secret. They were having enough complications by themselves, imagine when the rest of the team got involved.

Preparing to bury herself under the covers until the early morning light, Emily reached to turn off the lamp. The sheets were sinking around her and Emily suddenly breathed in that familiar smell of him... coffee and that musty vanilla that smelled like old books. Normally it made her feel safe and calm and just a little bit aroused, but tonight she was sad. She wouldn't feel his strong body pressed up beside, wouldn't feel his warm breath on her neck as she drifted off... his strong arms wouldn't be around her if she awoke in the middle of the night. She'd spent so much of her life alone, but it wasn't until now she realized how much she hated it. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

It didn't matter what it took, she had to make this work with Spencer. They were going to be a family and it wouldn't be an easy road, but they would work it out. They had to, there was no other option. She was too in love with this baby to give it up and she was too in love with Spencer to let him go. Giving up one would be a fate worse than death. No matter what it took, and no matter what her friends might think, she and Spencer and their baby would be a family. They wouldn't be perfect, but they would be happy.

It was her last thought as she buried her face into her pillow and allowed herself to cry out her frustrations. She never thought the motherhood would be so hard so soon.

* * *

Her lungs were screaming for air as she struggled to rise out of the water. The forceful hand gripped her blonde hair and shoved her into the depths of the filled bathtub.

At last, she rose again, gasping and choking for breath. "Please," she guzzled, spitting out the water that sloshed into her mouth, "don't kill me..."

Her captor leaned down to her ear, whispering so low, it was nearly impossible to hear over the splash. "How many people said that very same thing? Pleading it in the last moment of their lives before they were murdered, all because of you!"

She whimpered and continued to struggle. This man was going to kill her if she didn't get away. But with her wrists bound, she had no chance. "I never k-killed... anyone."

"You have more blood on your hands than I ever had!" He snarled, and with that shoved her under the surface again. His tug on her hair became more forceful, swishing her back and forth teasingly as he watched her bound legs kick at the faucet of the bathtub, desperate to break free.

Each time he held her down longer, but brought her up once again. She let out a long, desperate sob. She didn't want to die, and normally she'd never give a killer such pleasure in begging for her life... but things were much different now. She had so much more to live for.

"Please..." She begged again, her wide green eyes looking deeply into his baby blues as she wailed for his mercy. "I... my baby... she's only th-three months old. She needs me..."

Her plea was met with a sickening grin. "She's better off without you, always was... you and your sick, twisted ways who give no regard for any life but your own."

"No!" She argued, in absolute dire need of her hands. "I tried to help people... I saved so many, I never hurt anyone!"

Tears were spilling down her face as her restricted hands reached out to him. Her eyes begged him to understand, that whatever ideas he had of her were wrong... that he had to let her go.

"All you did was hurt them." He growled. "You made a deal with the devil and let their souls be forgotten. Now no one will remember you!"

On that last forceful word, he shoved her down below the water again, holding her so firmly, the muscles in his arm began to ache. But there he sat without a reprieve until finally, the body in his grasp stopped struggling... still and silent in the shallow water.

* * *

Dawn was still hours away when Emily awoke from her slumber. It had been difficult to drift off, so incredibly restless at first, but then finally she eased herself to sleep. She really did love this bed. Thick warm covers and sheets of the highest thread count. If she ever allowed herself to indulge in comfort, it was definitely in the bedroom. She felt so warm here, buried beneath her blankets, safe and protected. She inhaled deeply, she breathed in that familiar scent around her... that coffee and musty vanilla, the scent that never failed to rock her to sleep when she lay here.

As her mind came into focus, arousing from its sleep, her thoughts came back to her. She was warm in this bed... warmer than she should have been sleeping alone. And the scent around her... if she didn't know better, she'd swore it got stronger in the night. Just as she was about to move, she felt something constricting her. Something was wrapped so tightly around her, bound to her like duct tape, only much softer... and made her feel much more secure.

Despite the sheltered feeling, her instincts kicked in. Someone had come into her home while she was sleeping, and taking her past history into account, that was something to be alarmed of. She was just about to pull away to see for herself what the hell was going on when a small orb of light sparkled on the wall above her, just below the ceiling, reflected off the shine of the street lamp outside. Following it's ray, she realized it was being cast by the glass of a watch, secured to the wrist of the arm that lay over her. The watch itself was settled over a sweater sleeve to avoid contact with skin, as most people of high intelligence hated.

When he'd come here, she didn't know, but Emily smiled with a sigh of relief. He couldn't have been as mad at her as she thought... or maybe he had and it dissipated. But it really didn't matter. He was here now and proved he wanted to work this out just as much as she.

Carefully, Emily rolled herself over. Spencer lay beside her undisturbed, with his eyes flickering widely in sleep. He laid above the covers, with his hair slightly tousled and wrinkled clothes, indicating he must have been here for a few hours. He was still in the clothes he'd worn to work, but his shoes were off, revealing the mismatched socks unique only to him.

She should let him sleep; he'd been working all day, well into the night and they probably had a full, rich day ahead of them tomorrow if they wanted to solve this case, but she couldn't resist. Her hand came over to cup his stubbled face, her thumb brushing the apple of his cheek. He gave a light grunt, but never woke. She'd have to try something less subtle.

In a second attempt, she reached up to press a kiss to his forehead. A light murmur growled in his throat, but it still wasn't enough. Her lips came down to press a kiss to his fluttering eye lids, down on his cheek and finally, a soft press against his lips. Slowly, he began to stir from his sleep. Emily met his gaze with a smile as he opened his eyes.

It took him a moment to remember what happened. When it came back to him, he smiled in a daze, "Hi."

"Hi," she answered back. "When did you come in?"

"About midnight," he uttered, letting his eyes fall close again, just for a moment. "I... finished my work a lot faster than I thought," he uttered in the middle of a yawn, Emily could barely make out what he said. His mouth closed again as he rested against the pillows. "I was so tired, I kept thinking I'd better go straight to bed... but for some reason, I put my shoes back on, grabbed my keys and... got in my car." His eyes opened again as he smiled. "It just sort of steered itself over her."

"Well, I'm glad," she whispered, brushing back his hair as she admired his tired face. "There was so much I wanted to say to you, I was just... too proud to pick up the phone, I guess."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Reid said sadly. Apologies were probably the most difficult thing to express, and no matter how many one did, the right words were never easy to find. "I'm sorry I got so mad today. I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries, I was just trying to help."

"You've got nothing to be sorry about." She assured. Her hand kept brushing his cheek, over and over. Each touch warmed his heart, soothing him down to his very soul. "I should have thanked you for what you did, searching so hard for what you thought was the perfect doctor. I should have been more grateful. And please understand me, when I say we have to make compromises, I don't mean _you_ have to make them. I never meant that."

At that, Reid sat up, feeling a bit more awake now. Emily did the same, the covers pushed away from her. "It's not just that, Emily..." he uttered, unsure how to say this. "I didn't just work on the suspect list tonight, I did a lot of thinking about us and..." she watched his eyes drift down. He reached over to give a brush to her flat tummy, covered by the cotton of her button down pajama top. "...and the baby. I haven't felt like myself since I found out, and I could not understand why."

"I didn't realize you were still so upset about this." Emily exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me this, Sweetheart?"

"I honestly didn't realize until I took the time to consider it. It's clear these feelings are hard to comprehend, I've never been a father before. I mean, I'm... Emily please understand, I am happy about the baby." He avowed, continuing to pat her belly lovingly. "I just don't think I am handling it very well."

She smiled. "I think you're handling it just fine."

"Not as well as you." He pointed out.

"Are you kidding, Spencer, I'm terrified!" She cried with a reprieved laugh. "Even more than you. There is a life growing inside me! It's going to become a living, breathing person and I'm going to be responsible for it for the next twenty years, and one I'm never going to stop worrying about. I'm not young and vibrant with a lot of life ahead of me, I don't even know if I have the strength and energy in me to keep up with a child, if my body's even capable of having a healthy baby... I'm scared to death, Spencer."

He was stunned, staring at her like the woman before him was an imposter. "You seemed so... thrilled about this. So put together, I thought nothing could shake you."

"I think we both have been walking on eggshells since the beginning." Determined Emily. "I'm afraid I'm going to scare you off and you're afraid you're going to hurt me again. I think we need to stop being so afraid of each other and start working together. We're never going to get through this if we're not a team."

For the first time since he learned the truth, Spencer smiled. A real, honest, happy smile that made Emily fall in love with him all over again. He reached over to bring her into a kiss, his hand cupping the back of her head protectively. Strong, but gentle, telling her he was never going to let her go.

As their lips parted begrudgingly, Reid brushed back her hair and stared deeply into her eyes. "I was just trying to help, you know. I don't really know what to do for you right now, but I know I should be doing something... this was the only thing I can think of."

"And that means everything to me." She smiled dizzily, drunk on the power of his kiss. "What I need most is I need you to be there for me. I'm the one carrying the baby, Spencer, so I need to be the one who gets to be emotional and moody and sometimes have a meltdown, and I'll expect I'll have a lot of them in the next few months. You just need to listen to me, to hold me, tell me the good things that are going to happen and that everything will be alright. I know you can do that, you've done it for me before."

Bashfully, he gave a crooked half smile. "I can do that... it doesn't feel like enough, though."

"It's more than you even know!" She exclaimed. "Although, I do appreciate you going to so much trouble to find a good obstetrician. I would rather just stick to my doctor. She's very good and I'm very comfortable with her. I called her before her office closed today and she wants to see me the day after tomorrow... you can come, too, if you'd like."

He grinned happily. "I would... I'll be there. I'm going to be there for you through everything, you just let me know what you need."

With a sigh, Emily pulled herself as close to him as possible. They both shuffled down in the bed, one above the covers and the other below. Snuggling close, Emily gripped his sweater as she lay her head on the feather down pillow. A warmth spread through her as Reid wrapped her up tightly, holding her secure.

"I've got everything I need right here," she exhaled with content. Her eyes closed just as Spencer settled right beside her, pressing a protective kiss to her brow. Within seconds of each other, they fell back into a peaceful to sleep.


	15. Real

A new gloom seemed to set in about the city. Spring rain had begun to sprinkle and darkened clouds covered the sky, blocking the sun out for the foreseeable future.

Emily and Reid didn't even get a chance to get to the BAU the next morning. Hotch left a call on their respective phones, indicating there was a new victim. Another agent, murdered in her house in the middle of the night. They were to meet Morgan as soon as possible at the new crime scene. They'd finally been given full clearance from not only their superiors, but DCPD, and Hotch refused to let this unsub get away. They needed to get ahead of him before more brothers in arms were lost.

The house was in a relatively quiet neighborhood. A lovely, peaceful community where children could ride their bikes in summer and every window glistened in the holiday season. Reid couldn't help but look at each of these houses, wondering what kind of lives the families shared from day to day. They seemed safe here, happy... perhaps it was just the right place to raise a baby.

"So where are we going to live?" Reid wondered, glancing at Emily as they drove through the neighborhood. The crime scene was a few blocks away.

The two had decided to drive together that morning. It had been Emily's idea, and Reid felt no need to argue.

"Hmm?" Emily asked, picking her gaze up from the screen of her phone to question him.

"When..." he still felt awkward talking about this. "When the baby comes... we need to decide where to live. Should we just move into your place or... do you want to get a new place together?"

"Oh..." Emily did not have the energy to think right now. If she felt this bad just sitting here, how was she supposed to study a bloody crime scene? "I don't know, Sweetheart."

As he pulled up to a red light, Reid looked to her with worry. She looked so pale and woozy, it was really starting to scare him. "Do you want me to take you back home? It might be better if you just rest today."

She went to shake her head, but determined quickly that was a bad idea. "I'm sure it's just the car that's..." she held back a gag, not wanting to make a mess of Reid's vehicle, "that's stirring my stomach. It'll be alright... I just need some fresh air."

"The handle's right below you, if you want to roll down the window." He indicated.

That was probably a good idea. She rolled it down a few inches, breathing in the fresh scent of spring rain. There was a heavy chill in the air and it rejuvenated the expectant mother.

She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth slowly. It would take a while, but if she just stayed calm and kept breathing, it would help. "I didn't think morning sickness was this debilitating... maybe my body just can't handle the pregnancy."

"Don't say that, Emily." Reid urged as he brushed her shoulder. "You're fine, everything's going to be fine."

She hoped he was right. Looking over to him with weakened eyes, she uttered, "I don't remember JJ being this sick."

"That's because we're having a girl." Reid said with a smile.

Stunned, Emily suddenly found the strength to sit up. Neither noticed how the light had turned green above them. The cars opposite them drove past, but the two paid no mind.

"You can't possibly know that!" She exclaimed, though something did stir in her stomach at the thought. Still, she didn't have a definite feeling that he was right. "I know you're a genius, Sweetie, but even you can't tell after what, seven? Eight weeks?"

"We'll know how long tomorrow." Reid explained. "Yesterday, while I was trying to figure things out, I did a little reading. JJ gave me her old baby books after Henry was born, she figured if anyone wanted to take unwanted books, it was me. But I never looked at them until last night. There's no definitive proof, but some of the experts say often women are sicker when they're expecting a girl."

Looking down, Emily couldn't help but smirk. "I'm not saying I wouldn't want a girl, but I don't want to hope for anything until we do the amnio."

Reid suddenly realized he should be driving. The light had flashed to yellow and, disobeying the law entirely, quickly rushed through the intersection to continue on. "You think we should have an amniocentesis done?"

"I think it would be wise." She insisted, sitting back in her seat. The motion was making her sick again. "You yourself said I was a high risk pregnancy, we should know what to expect... it's not just me in danger, the baby could... wind up with some kind of problem. She could have... down syndrome or autism. It's not fun to think about, but we should know and... prepare what to do."

A tension had risen in the car, both concentrating on the worst that could happen. They couldn't just push those thoughts away and hope for the best, not when someone so important to them was involved.

Reid quickly reached over and took her hand. "Emily, I swear to you now... unless it's evident our baby wouldn't have a decent quality of life... I want to have it. I will love our baby no matter what, I promise."

It was not fun too think about, but hearing that made the fears more bearable. "Me, too." She smiled, and for just a moment, felt a little better. He flashed her one smile before he turned back to the road, and didn't stop squeezing the whole way.

At last, as they turned on to Lennon Avenue, they spotted police cars and crime scene vans congregated around an elegant white house halfway down the street. Trees were gathered in the front lawn, with it's limbs producing little white buds. In a few weeks, they would be blooming brilliant blossoms. A sign of new life surrounding the horrific death inside.

Reid pulled up in front of the next house. It was still early, so it wasn't a surprise several of the neighbors had migrated out of their homes. Many were still wearing pajamas and robes, complete with slippers. Others were partially dressed for work, fixing their ties or in mid brush of their hair.

"Don't people have anything better to do?" Reid groaned as he observed the gathering

"Ignore them," Emily said, giving his hand one more clutch before she opened her door. "Let's get inside."

They climbed out of the car. Over the hood, Reid looked to Emily in question. "Any thoughts on what to say to Morgan if he questions why we drove together?"

With a new twist of guilt that added to her nausea, Emily came around the car and stood before him. "Yeah... about that... I think I'd better... tell you something."

He was instantly bothered as she reached forward, taking both his hands in hers. Bracing herself, she prepared Reid to face what was inside besides a the crime scene.

* * *

Morgan stood in the bathroom, taking in the sight. At least it wasn't bloody; that was a plus. Still, it was hard to look at this and know it was where the victim spent her last moments, her body thrashing as she tried to break free, desperate to take that life saving breath... and it never came. All these deaths, the lives of their fellow agents taken away... it was a lot to handle once, let alone over and over.

Pulling on a pair of blue rubber gloves, Reid entered the bathroom. The light was brighter in here, and the stench suggested the mixed aromas. It suggested a lot of scenarios, and it would take some serious study of details to determine which one.

"Thank you," Reid said to a crime scene tech as he stood aside to let the agent pass. Morgan heard this, and turned to find his fellow teammate had arrived.

Reid wasn't sure what he'd expected, but if Emily hadn't just told him the truth, he'd never suspect Morgan knew. "Hey, kid." He greeted solemnly, giving a nod of recognition. "Glad you're here."

"Thanks," he answered, going to stand beside him. He took in his first sight of the bathtub, and felt a clench in his chest. The water had already been drained, but surely a sample had been collected. On the rim of the tub, tea candles had been arranged and burned down to nothing. A residue had collected on the edges of the procelain, left behind by the contaminated water.

"Who was the victim?" Reid asked, having not heard any details.

"Special Agent Rosalind Abernathy," Morgan uttered in a heavy tone, and Reid was sure his friend knew her personally. "Roz for short. She's been working in Internal Affairs for the last five months."

Internal Affairs. To most of the FBI, those agents were as bad as the unsubs themselves, always prying into their professional and personal lives and stirring up problems most often best left alone. Reid carefully looked to his friend, curious to Morgan's connection of her.

"Did you know her?" Reid wondered, trying to sound casual.

Morgan nodded, still staring down at the water. "She used to work in the Chicago Field Office, I met her when I was a cop. Two years ago, she wanted to transfer to Quantico and I put a good word in for her. She worked with Crisis Negotiation until five months ago; Rossi knew her, too."

"Why'd she transfer five months ago?" He asked.

With a heavy voice, almost angry, Morgan replied, "She was having a baby... she wanted a safer job and home by five every night. She'd rather her fellow agents hate her than some random psychopath stop her from coming home."

It did not go unnoticed how Reid suddenly became rigid, staring down at the water. Morgan saw the fear cross his face for a moment before he forced it away. Surely, hearing something like that wasn't going to slide off him so easily anymore.

He'd let it go for now. "The husband went out of town the other day for a friend's funeral, he's on his way back now. The neighbor's heard the baby screaming for hours and finally called 911... when the paramedics broke in, they found Roz face down in the bathtub."

Reid thought for a moment, "And they're sure we're needed on this? It wasn't just an accident? After all, there's bubble bath, candles, a glass of wine tipped over right there," he pointed in the far corner without a hint of alcohol around it. It was most likely empty when it fell on the bath mat. "Agent Abernathy could have been overwhelmed for taking care of a baby alone, she had a little too much wine while in the bath, hit her head, fought to climb back out, but couldn't manage it. 45% of all accidents are within the home, and more than half of those accidents are in the bathroom alone."

"A good theory," Morgan uttered, at last turning away from the tub. "Except that Roz's wrists and ankles were bound with duct tape. Garcia's running a search already to find a case that matches it."

At the same time, Reid, too, began to mentally sift through the thousands of FBI cases he knew to see if he could match one. Still, for every thousand he knew, there were two thousand he didn't. It might not be in his intellective archive.

They could only tell so much from the remnants of the bath, and so began a thorough sweep of the room. There wouldn't be anything to identify their unsub directly, but sure enough, there had to be clues that would ultimately lead them to the profile.

"Obviously, this was arranged in the appearance of a relaxing bubble bath." Reid thought as he lingered over the knocked over bottle of wine. "Scents from the candles and the bubble bath are still in the air."

Morgan voiced his own thought. "The question is, did Roz plan a bath for herself or was it a set up by the unsub?"

"I'd say it was Roz who set up the bath. Beside the wine, there are other clues." Reid mentioned. He picked up the glass with a question in mind, disturbing the puddle of white wine. Had only one person drank from this, or could there possibly be two? Even if not, someone may have touched it. It was worth bagging as evidence.

"Which are?" Morgan pressed.

Reid was observing the glass so intently, he didn't think to respond. There was a streak of dirt on the inside of the glass... like it was smudged there. Soot, most likely. Like the remnants of a burned candle... but there wasn't a candle in this room that could have produced that. The tea candles had wax covered wicks, they wouldn't produce impure carbon like this.

Morgan pressed him. "Reid?"

Looking up, Reid got back to his feet. "Oh... the scents compliment each other. Not just in variety but in amount. The vanilla is subtle, it doesn't overpower the cherry blossom, but there's also the slightest hint of lilac. The victim probably worked on this combination for years to learn what she liked best... or so that's what I've learned."

He might not be a genius, but Morgan could definitely pick up on that. "Yeah, I'm sure you've learned a lot." He said with an obvious bite in her words. "Speaking of which, where is Emily?"

He continued in his search, heading to the medicine cabinet, wanting to leave no corner untouched. It was good to keep himself busy, unsure what he'd say if he met the young man's eyes.

Reid felt such remorse at the dig in his voice, and so was careful with how he responded. "She... wanted to search downstairs. Look for forced entry, signs of a struggle... she should have that covered by the time we're done here."

Morgan read over a few labels on the pill bottles, most of which were prescribed to their victim. "Saving on gas mileage by riding in together?" He spoke in a nonchalant tone which was even more threatening than a yell. When Morgan was overly willing to act civil, that's when he was most likely to blow his top and explode.

He could have come forth with an excuse. He could have delayed the discussion or simply changed the subject... but would good would that do, prolonging the inevitable?

Reid took a quick glance around, just to make sure they were alone. A rustle told him there were more forensic techs in the next room, but they weren't of much concern.

Standing up straight, he declared, "I'm sorry you had to find out that way. That is not the way we planned to tell our friends."

He asked with a glance over his shoulder, "How were you planning to tell us?"

His answer was nothing but a silent struggle for words. He attempted to mouth one or two things, but nothing came out.

"Speechless," Morgan uttered with a snide grin. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day."

"We hadn't thought that far, honestly!" Reid exclaimed. There was no point in wasting time, deciding best to keep busy. If they both kept working, Morgan might be distracted enough not to lose his temper on him. He wanted to discuss this rationally and hoped his friend would understand. "We hadn't even considered telling you guys, not for a long time. Not until we were ready to get serious... but, as you can guess... serious came a lot sooner."

"Yeah," Morgan answered, shutting the mirror closed. "I think that's what I'm most disappointed about. I know you're not much of a player, but I'm sure I covered the basics with you on No Glove, No Love."

Reid winced a bit at that. Truly, Derek Morgan was a tactless soul. "I'd rather not discuss the safe sex practices between me and my girlfriend. We had a slip up, it happens, but it's not a tragedy."

Morgan moved over to the hamper. Lifting the lid, he starting examining the articles of clothes, as if the pinstriped dress shirt he lifted out would reveal any truth. He continued his thought. "I guess you think I should just be happy for you, then? Being a man and taking responsibility."

At this point, his hands started to clench into fists, almost forgetting to keep his grip light on the glass. "It doesn't take much of a man to be there for the woman he loves when she's having his baby. You do understand that, as you're sifting through your baggage of arrogance and only thinking about yourself? Emily and I are in love."

Investigating the crime scene seemed on the back burner now. As far as they were concerned, work and duty didn't exist. They were becoming the primal forms of themselves, like two wolves. The omega challenging the alpha for power... and it was no guarantee who would win.

"And while you two were running into each others arms in a field of heather," he mocked, "did you think about what you were doing to the rest of us? We could all lose our jobs."

Reid grumbled. "You're overreacting, the whole team's not going to get fired. Emily and I are the only two ones in a real danger of that and, considering all the agents Rossi has fraternized with over the years, I think our indiscretion will at least keep us within the Bureau."

"We might not get fired, but we might not be a team anymore!" Morgan exclaimed. "Strauss or the director or even the senate board could believe we're all too attached and need to be separated. Start from scratch with new, less experienced men and women. And they'll keep rotating them, too, just to make sure your little stunt doesn't happen again."

With a gasp of disbelief, Reid cried, his voice raising up the octave as it followed his anger. "Are you listening to yourself? I can't believe you're putting the possible downfall of the entire BAU on me and Emily."

"Don't pretend it can't happen!" Morgan was yelling now, and the rustling in the next room had completely silenced. No doubt, they had a private audience to their conversation. Maybe the crime team didn't have too much contact with FBI agents, but gossip was like a drug to people, and with the age of technology, it spread like a plague.

He'd had enough of this. Perhaps his efforts were best kept with Emily downstairs. He mercifully loosened his grip on the glass before it could shatter, and felt his heart rate begin to slow down. "No offense, Morgan, but... you're not being a real friend right now. I realize we're breaking the rules and there might not be a way to fix our team because of this, but you've always been there for us before. We've broken rules, just like you've broken rules; we've all crossed a line a time or two and, no matter what, we were there for each other. Maybe our superiors will feel there's a threat with our relationship, but it's going to look even worse when our fellow teammates turn on us one by one."

"Well," he uttered, "this teammate doesn't appreciate his fellow agents lying to him. If you wanted our support, you should have thought about that in the beginning. Even when we confronted you, you still had to lie!"

Reid heaved a sigh, deciding to give in a little bit. "In retrospect, maybe we should have told you sooner, but what's done is done. You need to get over that, maybe even try to be happy for us. It's what you said you wanted in the first place, wasn't it? That's what Emily told me."

"So Emily did tell you everything?" He questioned accusingly, as if still under some belief she was fishing for what they had before."

"Of course she did!" Reid answered. "She told me everything, and I get why you wanted to keep us apart the last time. In fact, I appreciate you looking out for me when I was so sick. But... that was two years ago, things are different now. We're both consenting adults who can make our own decisions and in turn, face our consequences."

His words were spoken with such ferocity. So much honesty and integrity, yet were not to be trifled with. Morgan did not know the last time he was so courageous... had he ever been?

"Are you saying it's real this time? Really real?"

Reid knew Morgan couldn't even begin to fathom what they had. With a despondent look at his teammate and long time friend, he shook his head. He didn't know either of them as well as he thought he did... or even wished he did.

"It's always been real." Reid answered, and with that took his leave from the bathroom. The three crime scene techs immediately rushed to pretend they were working, but Reid paid them no mind. Each one watched his retreat in interest. Crime scenes didn't usually have so much drama.

* * *

Emily tested the backdoor for a sign of a break-in. The hinges were stable, the door knob was tight, there weren't any wood splinters surrounding the latch. The other windows were a possibility, but this door appeared to be the easiest point of access. It wasn't visible from the back alley or the house next door. If the unsub was studying the victim as closely as they thought, he'd know this was his best chance to get in.

"You're sure this is the point of entry?" Emily wondered.

"It was standing wide open when we arrived." A young crime scene tech that reminded Emily of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo said as he pointed to the glass French doors that lead to the patio. "Just enough for an average person to slip through. At least someone who could overpower a woman."

"Really?" Emily asked as she tested the hinges one more time. "Even a trained FBI agent like Roz Abernathy?"

He gave a shrug. Having no answer, no care as to whether or not the unsub was strong enough to take down the victim. He went back to his work, studying the contents in the sink. Emily kept up her search.

At that moment, Reid stepped in from the dining room to the expansive space that was the family room and the open kitchen. He still wore his blue gloves and held the wine glass in hand.

"Excuse me," Reid said, grabbing Emily's attention. He stepped over to the tech and delicately handed him the stemware. "This was in the bathroom, I think it might be relevant. It should be tested for any DNA along with identifying what that black substance is."

"Yes, sir," he answered and stepped off. He rushed out of sight, leaving the two profilers alone.

Emily smiled, "The younger ones are so much more polite."

"And less likely to play pretend cop." Reid answered, seeing what she had to examine. "Find anything useful?"

"The door was said to be open when Roz was discovered." Emily said. She pushed the door open further so she could squat down and inspect the stoop while still remaining inside. She wanted to avoid the rain as much as possible. "Although, I'm not sure who found her body initially. If it was a neighbor, they might have just rushed in without a thought. In which case, we'd be nowhere."

"Did he say if the door was wide open or just... ajar?" Reid questioned, stepping over to see for himself.

Emily ran a finger along the stood, checking for any residue besides the raindrops. "Ajar... probably enough to let in the average sized man... but would someone that size be able to take down a professionally trained agent like the victim?"

"Absolutely," Reid voiced, standing back as he watched her work. "A male weaker than me would have been able to take her down."

Glancing around her shoulder, her brow forward and she scowled. "How is that possible?"

Reid answered as his eyes landed on the baby carrier, seated on the coffee table. "She had a baby. If Roz Abernathy thought her daughter was in any kind of danger... she would have taken it easy. By the time she realized what he was planning to do, she would have already been in his control."

Emily hadn't thought about that, and the morning sickness she'd managed to force away came back tenfold at that thought. The thought of that poor little baby, having lost her mother so young, and in such a terrible way. The victim must have been terrified for her daughter. Emily was barely a few months into this and already she had an unrelenting urge to protect her child. No matter what it took.

She had to force the thought away if she wanted to work. Her baby wasn't in danger right now - as far as she knew - and she needed to carry on. "The stoop's clean. Maybe too clean?"

Reid answered, "The house is too clean. If both parents worked, I'm sure they had a maid and nanny to look after the baby."

"Yeah," was all Emily could say, giving up. That was another thing she and Spencer would have to discuss soon. She didn't want to quit, she loved her job. As did Spencer, and it was more important the genius kept working. Did they want to entrust their child in the care of a stranger most of the week? A person their baby would look to more for love and affection than its parents.

Forgetting her condition, Emily stood back up. Much too fast, suddenly becoming light headed. As she began to stumble, she felt the protective arms of her boyfriend come to steady her, keeping her from falling. He was always there.

"Careful," Reid sanctioned. One hand clung on his arm as the other covered her mouth, fighting off the nausea that accompanied the vertigo.

It took her a moment, but she regained her balance and was able to pull her hand away. "Thank you," she said, giving him a smile.

"My pleasure," he smiled, and blushed a bit as she squeezed his hand. This was exhilarating. He'd never been able to be this affectionate with her in such a public setting before. All the time, out in the world, they had to be so careful. Choose their restaurants accordingly, wait until the lights went down in the movies to hold hands, pretend to just be friends most of the time. They could never risk anyone finding out who they were. But... the truth was going to come out soon. Frankly, there was little point in keeping up the façade.

He wanted to kiss her, but knew better. That was a line that couldn't be crossed yet. But, soon, very soon.

"Morgan should be just about done." Reid said as he backed away, going to look around the kitchen. "I doubt he found much more on his own. We're not bringing much back to the team yet, are we?"

"We're close to figuring the unsub's personality, though." Emily said as she at last closed the back doors. There really wasn't anything else to be examined down here, either. "If only we could figure out why he's emulating these cases. That's the whole key to the profile."

Reid had thought of a theory, but never got a chance to say it. At that moment, there was a rustle and then a crash in the next room, followed by a batch of muffled yelling. Concerned, Emily and Reid exchanged a look before hurrying to the foyer to see what the matter was.

"How could you have been so stupid?" A cop was screaming at one of the techs. "You see someone coming towards the door, you step aside to let them pass!"

"I would think you should let the people doing the actual work around here pass when you see them carrying a massive load in their arms." She yelled back before dropping to her knees. She and Shaggy the crime tech were busy cleaning up the contents of spilled evidence collected through out the crime scene.

"Oh, no," Emily whispered, eyeing the mess. She and Reid would have liked to rush forward and help, but evidence could become more damaged that way. They knew it was better to keep a distance.

Most of their work was salvaged. Wrapped and labeled accordingly. It was exactly why they followed such protocol, so no mistakes or accidents could jeopardize a case... except one thing, which caused Shaggy to utter. "Uh, oh."

"What?" His female colleague asked as she placed the container of bath water back in the carrying case.

Reid saw it before he could respond. Shards of glass covered the floor, smashed underneath everything. The largest piece couldn't have been bigger than a fingernail.

"Damnit," the female tech said. "Alright, well... let's get a duster and put it in a baggy, we might still be able to find some DNA in the fragments."

DNA, maybe, but that soot was what intrigued Reid more. There was no chance to get a sample off those particles. There was no way to even see it now, let alone test it to know exactly what it was and where it came from. It could definitely lead them to the unsub, but without a solid sample, it lead to astronomical possibilities To distinguish it, Reid would be forced to work on gut alone.


	16. Perfection

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay guys. My migraines have been getting so much worse as of late, it's been difficult to move let alone write. I'm trying to work through it, though. :/

* * *

Were Reid not so consumed with the loss of evidence, he would have felt the uncomfortable tension in the elevator. He all but jumped in surprise when he felt a chilled hand slip into his. He turned to find Emily, with her eyes closed so tightly as she tried to hold back tears. He wasn't sure if she felt sick from the lurch of the unbearably slow elevator or the fact that Morgan was going out of his way not to look at her. He squeezed it back lovingly, emitting a small smile as she leaned against him. There were about to face a lot of problems, and one or both of them might be out of a job in a few days, but he liked they could be so open now.

Out of the corner of his eye, Morgan caught a glimpse of the two. Reid pressed a light kiss to the top of Emily's head. The swell in his heart could not be denied. They did look good together, and for a moment couldn't help but think what an incredible baby they were going to have.

He had just looked away when Reid exclaimed "Are you alright?" Turning, Morgan found Emily with a hand over her mouth, slightly hunched over. It was a cause for alarm. In a matter of seconds, all the color had drained from her face and a sheen of perspiration glistened on her skin.

"Prentiss?" Morgan asked with undeniable concern.

When she emitted a dry heave, he knew what the problem was. She needed to get out of this elevator right now. Mercifully, they arrived at the sixth floor. Emily dashed to the doors just as they began to open, practically shoving them aside to get out; rushing down the hall and out of sight.

Morgan watched in amusement for a moment, shaking his head. His sour feeling seemed to be lifting, although he wasn't ready to accept this yet. However, as he turned to Reid, any bitter emotion he felt dispersed at the look of terror and worry on his face. Most of his color was gone, too.

"You okay, kid?" Morgan asked softly.

Reid glanced at him, and for a moment thought about unloading on him. But even if things weren't rocky between them right now, he just couldn't bring himself to say it. With a quiet nod, he rushed out of the doors just as they were about to close. They stopped and slid open once again with a resonating chime. Morgan immediately followed him.

"Reid," He called after him as he stepped through the doors. "Come on, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he answered as hurried to the break room. He was trying to be calm, but couldn't keep himself from rushing. Wishing he could get away for a moment. He nearly trampled JJ and stepped on Rossi's foot as he maneuvered his way past to the break room.

Both stared after him as Morgan approached, keeping on his tail. "Is he alright?" JJ asked with worry. Rossi didn't speak, but was definitely concerned.

All Morgan could say was "rough day" and hurried after him. JJ glanced at Rossi a moment who shrugged, stepping out of the unit. She thought for little more than a minute before continuing on with her task.

Morgan stepped in to join him, watching as Reid did nothing but lean against the counter. As if his mind were so preoccupied, it had no ability to do anything else. Worried, Morgan stepped over, keeping his voice low so as not to attract eavesdroppers.

"Something's obviously bothering you." Morgan uttered. "And it wasn't distracting you until a moment ago. What's going on?"

He turned to him with an anger in his hazel eyes so rarely seen by the world. "I'm surprised you care, Morgan. You've made it very clear you're only concern right now is you. What's going on with Emily pales in comparison to your feelings, even though she's the one having the baby."

It shouldn't have amazed him that Reid's only thought was about Emily, not for himself. Reid was not selfish person and thought of himself on the rarest of occasions That phrasing, however, was cause for alarm, and Morgan had to get to the bottom of it.

"You're right." He answered. "And if I were in your shoes, I'd be pretty pissed off, too... but I am here to listen. Is something wrong with Emily? With the baby?"

Reid wanted to tell him off, but his twisted heart held him back. It felt like it was choking him. He tried to talk a bit, but each time he opened his mouth, he could do nothing but close it back up to take a swallow.

Morgan rested a hand on his shoulder and lead him over to the table. For a moment, Reid thought he might be sick himself. His breathing was labored as he eased himself into a seat. Morgan rushed to the fridge to pull out two bottles of water. He set one in front of his friend and proceeded to take the chair beside him. He flipped it around, sitting the back in front. His arms leaned on it as he observed the young man.

"Is something wrong with Emily?" He asked again, and couldn't stop the worry clench his stomach as he awaited the answer.

"I don't know," Reid finally answered, looking up to meet his gaze. "I mean... there's nothing obviously wrong, but... last week, her morning sickness was fairly normal, yet it's gotten steadily worse and this whole morning, it's been... fairly constant. And incredibly debilitating. She had motion sickness the whole way to the crime scene and the whole way here. I know everyone's different, and it might mean nothing... but it could mean something."

"I thought morning sickness meant the pregnancy was healthy." Morgan mentioned.

"Exactly," Reid answered with determination. "She is an older woman, and pregnancy is a high risk at her age. I'm just..." He closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I'm worried her body is working in overdrive to keep the baby healthy and in result, it's hurting her. Maybe even killing her."

Morgan swallowed nervously, unsure what to say. There was no advice he could give and without common knowledge, it was hard to give comfort.

Reid, thankfully, wasn't waiting for a response. He seemed satisfied just getting this out in the open. "And what if my theory's off and it's not Emily, but the baby who's in trouble. What if the baby's sick and her body's fighting a losing battle trying to save it? I never even knew how much I wanted a baby until four days ago and now I'm terrified I'm going to lose it. I've never felt so helpless."

"Never?" Morgan wondered.

Meeting his eyes again, Morgan shuddered at the look of utter fear and sadness. "Morgan, I'd rather be tied naked to a goalpost ten times in front of the entire FBI than feel like this. I'm supposed to protect my family and right now, I can't help either of them."

For one final second, Morgan thought about himself again. He realized how selfish he'd been. His friends deserved to be happy, and it wasn't like he was innocent in the fraternization rules. Several interns in every unit could vouch for that, including the BAU.

"I wish I could tell you everything will be fine, but... we both know I can't promise that." Morgan answered. "I hope everything will be okay, and I think the odds are in your favor. Emily's very healthy. She works out, she doesn't smoke at all or drink a lot. Yeah, she's older, but women older than her have had healthy babies. I'm not saying you should forget your worries, but you should keep all this in mind, too."

Reid let out a sigh, "I suppose you're right. It's just... after all these years, I'd lost all hope I could have her... and then... maybe I was living in a fantasy, but I felt like we could have everything." His fingers traced the top of the table, his eyes clouded over, lost in his thoughts. "I can't bear the thought of losing her now. I don't want to lose the baby, but I cannot lose her."

Morgan couldn't stop himself as he asked. "Years?"

Reid hadn't even realized what he was saying, looking up to his stunned expression. He swallowed hard, giving a shrug and a shy nod.

"How long has this been going on?" He wondered in awe.

This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have now, but it was better than fighting. He unscrewed the cap of his bottle, trying to stall for time. "It's a long, complicated story I'd rather not go into... but I will say our first case together, that was the first spark."

"Oh my God!" Morgan cried. "This can't have been going on for six years!"

Reid shook his head earnestly, "No, it's been pretty one sided until I lost my memory. Emily didn't even know about my feelings until the beginning of last summer. Long story short, I confessed how I really felt when she told me what happened when I was sick."

At once Morgan looked like he'd just had a frontal lobotomy. He stared at Reid for almost a whole minute in speechless wonder until the younger man felt shifty and uncomfortable.

At last, Morgan swallowed and shook his head in wonderment. "All this time... how did I not know you felt this way about her?"

Reid gave a crook of a smile, "Because I'd rather suffer in silence than hear the ridicule every morning. I was embarrassed enough, I didn't need to see the significant look from you every time she sat next to me in the round table room."

Morgan was a little guilty at that, but couldn't help but smile. "It does explain why you'd sometimes fidget in your chair when she sat beside you... or why you'd fall abnormally quiet when she'd make a provocative comment on the plane."

Blushing slightly, Reid took a heavy swallow and nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

There was an elation among them as Morgan admitted a laugh. He certainly wasn't angry anymore, at least not as much, and Reid felt a little calmer. He watched as Morgan unscrewed the cap on his bottle, taking a sip as his laughter died down.

"I wish I could have told you," Reid added. "Ever since Gideon left, I had to deal with everything on my own... it would have been nice to confide in someone."

Morgan swallowed and set his bottle down. "I'm sorry you couldn't trust me... maybe you wouldn't have waited so long to tell me the truth."

"That wasn't about you, Morgan, I swear." Reid assured. "It wasn't about any of you... we just wanted to keep it as simple as possible for as long as possible... we made a mistake and ended up getting pregnant. I'm sorry this is going to upset everyone, that it may break up our team... we've always known that was a threat, but we never meant to hurt anyone. We just... we wanted to be happy."

It was Morgan's turn to shift uncomfortably, "You guys deserve to be happy... I didn't mean to explode on you. Maybe I overreacted."

Reid grimaced a bit, hiding a smile. "You definitely overreacted."

"Okay, yeah, I overreacted. I was a selfish jerk, are you satisfied?" He asked, playfully punching him in his arm. Reid responded with a resonating chortle. Sitting back in his chair, Morgan sighed. "I'm sorry, kid. I don't know what came over me. I always knew Prentiss never got closure about losing you when you recovered your memory, falling in love with you and then losing you so suddenly. I figured she was still pining for you, even to a small degree... I guess I became protective of you, like you were that helpless, sick kid again."

"But I'm not," Reid spoke with an assertive tone Morgan couldn't remember hearing before today. "I know you care about me, that you all care about me... but all of you - especially you - need to realize I'm not a baby. I wouldn't let Emily take advantage of me, and she didn't trick me or manipulate me. If I weren't in love with her, I never would have risked our friendship or the dynamic of our team... but I did love her. When I knew she had feelings, too and I felt the barriers come down... nothing could have stopped me from being with her. And nothing ever will."

He wasn't sure what reaction he expected, perhaps amazement or even annoyance, but Reid was surprised at what he saw. A satisfied smirk crossed Morgan's face and a boastful light shined in his eyes. He was obviously proud of him, perhaps finally seeing him as a man.

"So... last summer," He wondered with a twinkle in his eye, "that girl you were dating, that you wanted to impress and couldn't stop thinking about... that was Prentiss?"

With the smallest smile, Reid nodded.

His cheeks felt warm as Morgan's grin burst forth and clapped the young man on the shoulder. For however brief a time, Reid did feel better, and had hope that his fears were nothing more than the apprehensions of a new father.

* * *

Emily wondered if Reid would run to the market to get her some mouthwash if she asked. She swirled a handful of water to get the taste out, spitting it out before leaning on the sink. She was exhausted now, but this was the best she'd felt all morning. Perhaps she could get through the rest of the day, and not feel sick again until evening.

Taking a deep breath, she went to leave, feeling a buzz in her pocket. Perhaps Reid texting her to meet the team in the conference room, or just to see if she were okay. Pulling it out, she read over the screen and her face fell a bit to find not a text, but her mother returning her call. She could just ignore it; let it go to voicemail and put it off further. But she would just have to return that message later and the cycle would repeat. It couldn't go on forever.

Morgan's office was empty and she made her way quickly down the hall. She answered the call just as she reached the door, turning it to test the lock. Open.

"Hello, Mother," Emily said as neutral as possible as she pushed herself inside.

"Emily," her mother said with mild amazement. "I expected you'd be working."

"Yeah, well... we're on a break." She thought quickly, not wanting to leave herself open. "A short break."

"Well, I trust you're working hard as always." Was there a hint of sarcasm there? Her mother never could understand Emily's dedication to her work: why it consumed so much of her time with little chance of advancement. In which case, she couldn't truly appreciate it, nor respect it, as Emily's suspicion was.

"We are in the middle of a difficult case." Emily specified, and left it at that. "Uh, I hate to rush, Mother, but I only have a few minutes. What's going on?"

There was a pause before her mother asked, "Why do you think something's wrong?"

Isn't that why they talked? For the usual obligations? "You've been trying to get in touch with me for days. Usually, if it's something casual, you send it in an email."

"Which you never answer," her mother pointed out. Her tone was stern for a split second, but dropped. "But, that's really not the point. I don't think you and I really got a chance to talk the other night at dinner. We were both pretty distracted."

She hadn't realized her mother had noticed, although it had to be just as obvious to Elizabeth the awkward air between them. "I didn't realize you had more to say."

Her mother replied, "Believe me, I have a lot more to say. I actually need to talk to you about something... something kind of serious. I want you to hear from me before you hear it from someone else."

Emily had to admit, she was intrigued. "What is it?"

"I'd rather not discuss it over the phone. I wanted us to have the chance to really talk about this, so... well, I don't have any plans for the evening, so why don't you come to my hotel tonight and I'll take you to dinner?"

She knew her daughter's answer. She heard it before Emily even opened her mouth. Her hope was that maybe - just maybe - this time might be different. That her intelligent, intuitive daughter might hear the plea in her voice and know how badly she needed this.

"I..." Emily hated having to lie to her mother, but she couldn't say no to her. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Mother. I really need to focus on this case right now."

"Agent Hotchner won't let you out for a few hours?" Her mother pressed. "So you can have dinner with your mother?"

With a sigh, Emily answered, "Mother, that's really not fair. The rest of my team doesn't get extra time like that, not even to be with their children. I'm sorry, I can't do it right now. Maybe we can get together sometime next week, if you really want to."

With a deflated voice, Elizabeth answered. "No... no, just forget I asked, Emily."

"Mother-" she started to whine, ready to go on the defense.

"No, no, it's alright." She avowed. "I understand, it's... not important. I was mostly hoping you and I could spend a little time together, but... this is how it'll always be. You have a very busy life and it's not my place to interfere."

Was this happening? She'd never known her mother to back down before. "Mother, I-"

"You need to get back to work." Elizabeth interrupted. "Just give me a call in a few weeks, if you get the chance."

There was a catch in her throat and Emily swore her mother was trying not to cry. Without another word, the call disconnected.

Emily held the now quiet phone between her hands and spent more than a minute sifting through her thoughts. Conversations with her mother usually left her with negative emotions, but rarely did she feel such guilt. Now, able to really consider her words, it sounded like Elizabeth was really trying to reach out to her. Maybe even spend some meaningful time together, not just a dutiful requirement they had to fulfill. And Emily had basically blown her off. She never let herself feel like the victim when it came to her mother, but today Emily certainly felt like a villain.

A knock startled her and Emily whipped around. She'd forgotten to close the door when she came in and now Rossi was poking his head in. "There you are," he said with concern. "You didn't come in with Reid and Morgan, is everything alright?"

She needed a moment to clear her throat, still feeling a little dizzy. "Yeah... I just got a little sick in the elevator... and then my mother called. Guess which one I enjoyed more."

Rossi snickered unethusiastically, stepping in. He closed the door with care, giving them some privacy. "How is your mother?"

It was a little odd to hear that question from him. Hotch was known to ask about her mother, but he'd known her professionally. Reid would also ask when Emily would bring her up, but that was who he was. Just being considerate. Rossi didn't typically concern himself with her mother's affairs unless it affected Emily. She assumed, however, he was just easing into a real conversation, and overlooked it.

"Uh... she seemed fine." Emily said, looking down at her phone. "She wanted to see me for dinner."

Rossi hummed in recognition as he stepped closer. "And you turned her down. Somehow I suspect you didn't do so because you believe we'll be working well into the night."

Sometimes, Emily believed he knew her too well. At times like this, though, that could be a good thing. "That was my excuse... but you and I both know it's because I don't want to waste another evening with her. As if once a year isn't enough."

Normally, he'd find that funny... but not anymore. Lucky for him, Emily was a bit too distracted to notice. She stared down at her phone with a grimace on her face, desperate for this remorse to disperse.

"Don't you think you're being a little unfair?" Rossi said carefully.

With wide eyes, Emily looked up to him. She was just sort of shocked by his question, it took her a moment to find her voice.

"I know how easily you're taking in by a pretty face, Dave, but trust me, she's not as her first impression suggests." Emily assured. "I don't know what her motive is right now, but my situation is complicated enough without her getting involved in any capacity."

Rossi replied, choosing his words carefully. "Emily, I know you've never had the greatest relationship with your mother, but you've never made much of an effort to connect with her, either. There are two sides to every story, it wouldn't hurt to keep that in mind when you dodge her phone calls and deny her dinner invitations."

"Maybe so," Emily answered rather accusingly. Folding her arms, she questioned, "May I ask why your sudden allegiance is to a woman you've known for a total of two minutes?"

"Trust me, my concern is for you right now." He promised. "Maybe you're mother's trying to rebuild a connection with you."

She asked. "She's had decades to do that, why is she suddenly so interested now?"

"That, I certainly don't know." He shamefully lied. "But it wouldn't hurt to at least find out, and it might prove useful in the long run. You just found out you're pregnant. You're going to have to tell her eventually and it might be easier if you two are getting along better."

He had a point, but stubborn as she was, Emily wasn't ready to give in. "I'll think about it."

"You'll make the right decision." He put his arm around her, an effort to lead her to the door. They couldn't stay here, the others would be looking for them. "I know you will."

She could only manage a partial smile. Rossi opened the door allowing her to step out first. Turning, she faced him, stopping him in the doorway.

"I'm not going to deny I would like a real relationship with my mother. If things are going to get better, maybe I need to be the bigger person, but... it's hard."

"It'll be hard, but worth it in the end." He assuredly confidently. "You're going to be a mother, of everything you've faced in your life, this has to be the scariest. Who better to help you through this than your own mother. Because despite what you think, I'm sure she does love you."

"I don't know," Emily closed her eyes as her face fell, opening a flood gate she rarely felt comfortable releasing. "I feel like I've been nothing but a disappointment to her my entire life."

A week ago, he might have believed that. Taken Emily's side and helped her build her confidence by bashing her mother, but Rossi couldn't do that now. She really didn't know her mother at all, and she deserved to know the real person, who loved her daughter so much.

Rossi smiled and, with a gesture that surprised her, stepped forward and reached to brush her cheek. It was soft touch, gentle and suddenly filled Emily with a rich warmth she couldn't explain. Almost like she'd been longing for this kind of affection... for longer than she even realized. And she hadn't even known it was missing from her life.

He simply said, "I don't see how that's possible."

Her smile couldn't be helped. Rossi was a good man, he always made her feel better. Really, what would she do without him?

A gasp was heard in the empty corridor. Both Emily and Rossi looked around them, but in either direction, there was no one to be found. An echo perhaps, unseen around a corner. It was, however, enough of a wake up call that they were wasting time.

"The others will be ready soon." Rossi said as he stepped out to close the door. "Come on."

The two made their way back, walking casually. As if they'd shared nothing at all. They turned the corner just in time to miss Garcia's door close in a terrible rush.

Meanwhile, the bubbly girl leaned against her door in utter shock, unsure what she'd just saw.

JJ looked up from the open file she'd been studying. Garcia had stepped out a moment ago to use the Ladies' Room. She hadn't expected her back so soon. "What's wrong?"

Gossip could be fun, but at a time like this, it could do more damage than good. She remembered their theories about Reid and Emily seemed to spread like wildfire and it turned out to be nothing but rumor.

Still, just the thought of keeping her brightly painted lips sealed was too much of an effort for her. The girls could keep it between themselves for now. Stepping forward, she announced, "You are not going to believe what I just saw."

* * *

They returned to the bull pen just as Reid was heading up to the conference room. Emily hadn't even realized the weight on her until she saw him, lifting away as he turned to her, his face lighting up with a smile. At least that was one instinct they never had to hide.

She went to join him at once and Rossi was about to follow when he felt a familiar buzz in his pocket. His phone was ringing. Normally, he'd let it go, but since he was anticipating his calls more and more as of late, he silently slipped away, back out of the glass doors. The secret couple didn't particularly care.

"Hey," Reid said with relief as she reached him, both fighting the urge to kiss each other. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, much better." She answered. She still looked pale and exerted, but was steady on her feet. The worst was past her for now. "What's going on?"

"Hotch got a call from the coroner, he might have some results for us." Reid answered. Taking a chance, he reached over to stroke his hand on the back of hers. Even the slightest touch made them feel closer. More connected. "I'm still upset over that broken glass. Who knows what it might have proven."

"They still might be able to get DNA off of it." Emily assured. "And, if the unsub did drink from it and he works in the system, it won't be hard to track him down."

"Why would he be so sloppy, though?" Reid wondered. "He's been so careful up to this point, and then he leaves a glass at the crime scene? Unless it was insignificant in the first place, but that doesn't explain the black smudge."

"Spencer, we'll figure it out." Emily assured, taking a bigger risk. She claimed his touchy hand, squeezing it warmly. "There's a lot of evidence in play here, and ultimately one wine glass isn't going to matter. It's possible it meant nothing anyway."

Perhaps she was right, and it might be prudent to push it in the back of his mind for now.

They made their way to the conference room. Morgan was already inside with Hotch, who was still conversing on his cell phone. It gave Morgan the opportunity to slip away as he spotted the two moving across the catwalk.

He edged out the door and lowered his voice, not wanting to grab Hotch's attention. Prentiss tried to hide her concern as he met up to them, his attention focused solely on her.

"Morgan," she said with a bit of surprise.

"Hey, Prentiss," he said carefully, his hand reaching up to nervously rub the back of his neck. "Listen, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have acted like that."

"It's not a big deal," she said in monotone and shook her head.

He had to insist. "No, it is a big deal. I've acted like a jerk about this since the beginning. Reid and I talked and... it turns out there's a lot more to this I never even knew."

"Yes, and I would have been happy to explain that to you if you'd given me the chance." Emily said rather bitterly, her arms folding over her chest. She wasn't sure if she were upset with him or just her situation, but her emotions were a lot less restrained as of late.

"I'm sure you would have. And you had every right not to trust me... since I first saw you kissing in the hall, I've made my decision about this and have been too stubborn to think otherwise."

Reid was confused, "When did we kiss in the hall?"

Emily grinned at him, brushing his temple. "You still haven't gotten all your memories back, Dear."

Morgan snorted. "Still, we both know I haven't been a real friend about this."

Emily thought for a moment, "I don't know. You were pretty supportive when Reid's memory came back and he forget about me..." she remembered, "but I understand why you were upset. If I were in your shoes, I'm not sure I'd act much different."

"I doubt that," Morgan asked. "But I promise, I'm here for you now; both of you."

"Thank you," Reid said kindly. "At a time like this, we need our friends on our side."

Glancing back at Hotch - who was still immersed on his phone - Morgan couldn't help but ask. "So, when do you plan to tell the others?"

"We were hoping to hold off until after this case." Emily explained. Her hand falling into Reid's, wanting just one more moment to feel more connected to him. "Although, I'm not sure if that's going to last. If I keep getting hit with morning sickness like this, there's no way the others are going to stay in the dark. I'm pretty sure the girls already suspect something."

"Hotch is the bigger issue," Reid continued. "He can't know about us and not report it to the hierarchy of the FBI."

"You might have a little time before he has to announce it." Morgan voiced. "He could at least hold off until you guys get married."

The word sounded around them like a pane of glass had shattered. Reid and Emily stood in shock for a moment, as if it were a deep dark secret they shared and no one else could know.

Morgan sensed the discomfort as well. "You guys are getting married, aren't you?"

"Uh..." Emily avoided anyone's gaze for a moment.

"We honestly haven't discussed it." Reid mentioned with an uncomfortable twitch of his mouth. He remembered mentioning it the other night, but it hadn't been in the best of circumstances. It wasn't as if he meant it, either.

Marriage was a scarier thought to Reid than fatherhood, and he sensed Emily felt the same way. They were both from broken homes, and while Reid had blocked out much of his childhood, there were still the horrid memories of watching his parents split up. The thought of going through that with Emily... it already made his heart ache.

Morgan sensed the new elephant in the room and tried to change the subject. "It's not important right now. In this day and age, really, who cares?"

Exactly, who cared? Reid considered that for a moment before he realized... he did. He cared. But what did that mean?

There was no time to think about it. Just then, Hotch stepped out of the office to join their conversation, seemingly oblivious to the subject. "Alright, there are no results from Abernathy's autopsy yet, but the coroner has some information on her tox screen. A mixture of pain medication at a considerable dose."

"The unsub drugged her." Emily decided.

"It couldn't have been the unsub." Hotch answered. "When the coroner found out about the drugs, he made a call to social services to have her baby tested and... it's in her system, too. They suspect she was dosed through breast milk."

"Roz had to have been taking that stuff for awhile for it to affect her milk." Morgan said, concerned. "Were they prescription?"

"There's no record of any of that medication being prescribed to her, and even if it were, no doctor would prescribe that much to a nursing mother. They had to have been illegal." Hotch explained.

"Post Partum Depression is incredibly common, especially in first time mothers." Reid informed. "Most mothers are too ashamed, though, to admit they have a problem. Perhaps she felt her only option was to self medicate."

Morgan wondered. "If she was so ashamed, I wonder if her husband knew about her chemical help, or anyone else for that matter."

"I doubt it," Hotch answered. "In situations like this, a person will do anything to keep their problems as hidden as possible, which typically ends up destroying the people around them. Like their family."

It was almost like Hotch was trying to give her a message. Emily took his words to heart, remembering Rossi's advice from earlier.

"The husband's not going to be in until tomorrow, so we'll need to talk to him then." Continued Hotch. "In the meantime, Rossi and I will go speak with SSA Larson, the unit Chief of Internal Affairs. Morgan, I'd like you and JJ to talk to her partner and any other friends Abernathy had in the Bureau and Prentiss, I'd like you to contact her doctor and find information on her recent history. If you're up to it."

That was odd. "Why wouldn't I be up to it, sir?" She wondered.

He paused a moment, as if staring into her eyes, trying to convey his true thoughts. "It was just a suggestion.

"What do you want me to do?" Reid wondered.

"Work with Garcia, she might have a hit on cases that match Abernathy's murder." Hotch explained. "Once we have that, work with the other three and see if there are any connections. It could be anything, we just need one detail that connects them."

"It might be easier if I search through the cases myself." Reid said, getting curious looks from all three. "Trust me, it'll be much faster than allowing a computer to do it."

"I thought you were a computer." Morgan teased. Reid rolled his eyes with a none too amused expression, making the others laugh.

"Alright, I'm going to find Rossi. We'll meet later this afternoon before we call it a day. Unless we get a major break in the case, I suspect it will be slow going until we get the autopsy results in."

They agreed. Hotch stepped aside, heading in search of Rossi. "I'll see you guys later, then. If we get done in enough time, I'll come help you, kid."

"Thanks, Morgan," Reid replied, watching as he walked off. He gave Emily a smile, nearly forgetting their discomfort just moments ago.

Emily grabbed his arm just as they were about to part. "Hey... how late do you think we'll get away tonight?"

"Well... like Hotch said, there probably won't be another break until we get the coroner's report." Reid said. "Why?"

Emily had a sudden idea. One that would probably prove disastrous, but seemed like a step in the right direction.

"I was just thinking... I might like to take my mother out to dinner tonight... and I want you to come with me."

Confused, "Me? Why?"

She grinned excitedly. "Because I want to tell her about the baby."

Reid was stunned. "Do you really think it's a good idea?"

"I'm pretty sure she will eventually find out." Emily answered.

"I mean do you think we should do it now." He explained. "I know we have to tell our mothers eventually, but I was hoping to put it off for awhile. Especially the ambassador."

"Trust me, that's how I always felt, but... I don't know, this baby makes me feel different. And I think, telling my mother this soon might help bridge a gap between us. It might prove helpful in the long run. So I'd like us to take her out to a nice place tonight. I'll properly introduce you and we'll tell her about us and the baby. If you'll come with me."

He wouldn't deny the very idea terrified him, but Reid wouldn't let her go through this alone. As he told Morgan, he was feeling very impotent when it came to protecting his family. This was at least one thing he could do.

"Of course I'll be there." He agreed. "But how are you going to explain to your mother that it's going to be three for dinner without telling her the truth?"

"I'm not going to tell her just yet." Emily grinned. "I'll make a reservation at her favorite restaurant, we'll surprise her at her apartment and... take her out. And I know you hate wearing a suit, but-"

"I'll survive." Reid said with a small smile.

At his despondent tone, Emily asked with worry. "Spencer... if you don't want to come-"

"No, I do!" He assured, taking an inadvertent step forward. His brow was just inches from her as he stared down at her. "I want to be there for you... I just... your mother only met me once, I don't know what kind of opinion she formed of me then and now, to learn I'm the one who fathered her grandchild-"

"Spencer, stop!" Emily exclaimed, the tips of her fingers resting over his lips. "She's going to love you."

He smiled against her touch as his eyes lit up. He wasn't so sure that was true, but knowing Emily had that confidence in him was worth more than her mother's approval. She loved him. Ultimately, that was all that mattered.

She longed to kiss him, but had to settle on a long, drawn out adoring gaze. After a moment, she stepped away, heading to her desk to get to work. The whole time, Reid couldn't take his eyes off her. The woman he loved, the mother of his child... words couldn't describe how much he needed her.

As he continued to the conference room, it occured to him the ambassador might be interested to know that as well, were she to disapprove of him. At least she'd know how much her daughter meant to him. He could only hope things would go well.

* * *

"It's going to take time, Lizzie," Rossi assured as he spoke on the phone in the deserted corridor. "Emily is such a stubborn person, it's going to take time before she's ready to open up."

"Well, I do hope she talks to me about the baby before she goes to the delivery room." Elizabeth said bitterly. A mask for the pain she was feeling. "I wish she'd confide in me, let me help her through this emotional time. I was a new mother, too, once."

"You're not even supposed to know about that yet." Rossi pointed out. "But I'm trying to push her in the right direction. For now, you just have to be patient."

"I guess you're right," Elizabeth replied. "But it's hard, David... she's my baby, I just want to protect her."

"Believe me, I know the feeling." He smiled. "So what are you doing tonight?"

"Well, I had planned to take my daughter out to dinner, but those plans are ruined now." She responded.

"How about I take you out instead?" He suggested with a smirk he knew she could hear. "It'll cheer you up. What would you like to have?"

She paused a moment before she answered with a very sultry tone, "Room service."

"You read my mind." He answered, and with that spotted Hotch waiting for him to finish his conversation. "I'll call you when I'm on my way over."

"I'll be waiting," she said in a low tone, it made him blush. A moment later, the call ended. Unable to hide his joy, he turned to Hotch who was watching with amusement.

"New girlfriend?" He asked, unable to keep from smiling.

"It's getting there," He said vaguely, slipping his phone in his pocket. "Any word yet from the coroner?"

Hotch nodded. "So far, there's hardly any evidence to connect Abernathy's death with the other murders."

Rossi added. "Except for the fact that she's an FBI agent."

"This unsub doesn't follow a typical MO. Even if he's chosen specific cases, there should be some sort of aspect that's unique to the killer." Hotch answered. "But so far there isn't. The killer recreates the crime scene to the best of his ability and everything else is immaculate. Something is not right about that; no one is that perfect."

At that, Rossi felt like a chime went off in his head. "Maybe that's it."

Hotch hesitated a moment, trying to consider what he meant. "You're saying the lack of a clue is a clue?"

"Perfection is hard to accomplish. Now, nothing is ever flawless, but every person has had a project or task that they work tirelessly on until they believe it can't improve anymore. The unsub specifically chose these cases and he dedicated himself to it to make it as close a replication as possible."

"So he's not just killing agents in the same manner as one of their former cases." Hotch declared. "He's making them a part of the crime."

It was a valid conclusion, and they weren't the only ones who thought so. In the conference room, Reid was just getting started. Laying out the chosen files, he was debating if he should get a cup of coffee before starting. He always worked better with caffeine in his system.

And then it hit him. With his mind partially focus, the truth was laid out before him. Almost like someone had written it in permanent marker.

"Oh my God..." he uttered in amazement, a little bothered he hadn't thought of this earlier.

There wasn't a moment to waste. If he hurried, he might be able to catch them. Reid ran out of the conference room in a dash to catch up to Hotch and Rossi, urgent to tell them what he'd found.


	17. Date Night

A/N: Ah ! I can't believe the season finale's tonight. At least it's coming back and everyone's staying, I was getting worried there. And I just want to say I have a very strong feeling Anderson is the Replicator. I might be wrong, but I want it on the record.

* * *

"Larson might be able to shine some light on this." Hotch suggested as he pressed for Level 8. "At the very least, he should be able to identify which case mimics her death."

The doors were just about to slide shut when a cardigan-sleeved arm shot in to stop it. They lightly clamped on the intrusion before pausing and sliding back with a chime. Surprised, Hotch and Rossi found Reid standing there, out of breath and his hair lightly windblown.

"What's wrong, Reid?" Hotch asked.

The young genius stumbled his way through the doors, much too eager to care about decorum right now. "I know why the unsub is choosing these cases." He exhaled in a huff. His other hand leaned on the wall, allowing himself just a moment to rest.

Stunned, Rossi pressed, "You figured it out?"

"I think so," he answered. "It just sort of... came to me. I should have noticed it sooner, I don't know why I didn't."

"You're probably just distracted." Hotch mentioned solemnly.

Reid looked at him curiously. He could tell his comment was not meant to be taken lightly, although he couldn't imagine what would be upsetting him. Hotch didn't know anything yet, after all. He cleared his throat and continued.

"I noticed that all three of the first victims were killed replicating cases that weren't traditionally solved. Some were caught, but Lovefield's was cold. I believe, once we track down Abernathy's, it'll turn out the same way."

"But two of the cases are closed, aren't they?" Rossi wondered. "They caught their unsubs."

"Yes, but as we all know, in law enforcement, sometimes officials have to make exceptions in order to put criminals away. Klein's case centered on a crime family, and when one of the killers was caught, he turned on the others. He was given a deal and now - being in Witness Protection - he's not being punished for his crimes at all. They sacrificed one unsub in order to catch them all."

"Okay," Hotch continued, glancing at Rossi. Hopefully, he'd get to the point soon. The young man did have a tendency to ramble.

"I read that there was a mixup in Winslow's case, someone mislabeled an evidence bag. That technicality set the unsub free, and he proceeded to kill three more women. Since they couldn't get him for the murders, Winslow brought him up on charges for Grand Theft Auto. It was enough to get him off the streets, at least for a time."

"And Lovefield's case was cold." Hotch added. "They never caught that killer."

"I'm not sure that's entirely accurate." Reid corrected. "I remembered what Rossi said, that he thought Lovefield did catch the unsub... what if they did? And something caused them to let the unsub go, whether it was another technicality or lack of evidence, something allowed that killer to be released which allowed the unsub to continue killing."

Hotch suddenly had the same epiphany. "He's choosing agents who have cost more lives because they failed to do their job and put killers away."

"Not Matthew Klein." Rossi argued. "His unsub is in Witness Protection. If he commits a crime, he's finished. He'll be taken back to his old life and thrown in jail."

"Then there's got to be more to that than we know." The elevators slid open to the eighth floor. The two older agents stepped out and Hotch turned to the younger man, who waited with anticipation. "Okay, Reid, you said you'd be faster than the computer, so you keep looking into Abernathy's cases. First, go tell Garcia to track down Klein's unsub, contact the US Marshall's, see if they are having problems with him. When you're done, start going through the archives and find any cold cases where suspects were released, leading to more murders. Also, look at ones where killers were put away on lesser charges or if someone was wrongly accused and put away."

"Yes, sir," he announced as the doors slid shut again. It felt good to finally have a real lead.

"Internal Affairs is so much quieter than the BAU." Hotch, glancing at their own set of glass doors, the typically despised name of their unit printed upon them. Walking through them always had the sensation they were being sent to the principal's office.

"What do you expect, they've got nothing to do but gossip and spy." Rossi muttered. Both men were walking slower than natural. Neither could remember the last time they came up here. "How many agents in this building alone have cases like Reid said? Suspects and unsubs get away on lack of evidence. Getting released on technicalities are the bread and butter of defense attorneys."

"Which makes any one of us a possible target." Hotch shook his head. "This guy's a twisted vigilante who is making decent agents pay for the very murders they were trying to solve."

"I think it's more important than ever to find Lovefield's former partner." Rossi added. "If anyone knows why that unsub was let go, he will."

"I can think of a few cases this guy might like to use against me." Hotch muttered as Rossi reached for the handle of the door. "What about you?"

Tightly, his hand gripped on the metal, is if preparing to rip it from its very socket. His eyes were glazed as he considered it deeply. When at last he swung open the door, he muttered a grumbled, "One," before stepping inside. A little confused, Hotch followed in silence, knowing better than to press what was obviously a sensitive subject.

* * *

Between her speculation on her friend's current condition and love life, Garcia was trying to get some work done. It was getting more and more difficult to find new places to search for usable information, not to mention frustrating.

When a knock interrupted her, she couldn't have been more grateful for the distraction. "Come in and know me better, man." She called, swiveling in her chair. Her visitor entered, revealing Reid with a brown folder in his hand.

"I believe I've found the case matching Agent Abernathy's murder." Reid said as he closed the door. "It's not an exact match, but it's the closest in her records."

"Describe," Garcia requested as Reid sat down. He flipped open the folder and handed it to her, allowing her to read.

"Abernathy worked for Crisis Management before switching to IA when she got pregnant." Reid explained, pointing out his findings in the file. "One of her cases involved a woman suffering from a psychotic break after having a stillbirth. She started kidnapping infants from parks while their mothers or nannies weren't looking and..." there was a catch in his throat as he forced himself to continue, "...drowned them in the closest body of water, like a lake or a fountain."

"Oh, that's sickening." Garcia uttered. "How can anyone be so cruel."

"The night Abernathy and her team got involved, the unsub took the newborn baby from the apartment next door to hers. Crisis Negotiation had to be called in. There's not much information on what happened, but... as you can read, it didn't end well."

"I'd rather not read, thanks." She said, shoving the file back at him. "I take it that was Abernathy's last case?"

"No, that case took place at least three years before she transferred to DC." He explained. "It's also not the most horrific case she encountered. I read at least three hostage situations and a murder/suicide, none of which ended optimally. Any one of those would have been easy to replicate, but he chose this drowning case and I can't understand why."

"Besides, our unsub killed Abernathy and not her daughter." She recalled. "Don't tell me our guy suddenly has a conscience."

"It's not about having a conscience. The unsub is not killing agents because he wants to, it's because he has to." He explained.

Garcia questioned, "What do you mean?"

A discussion that would take too long at the moment. He needed to get back to work if he was going to stay ahead of this guy. "I'll explain later. I'm still making a list of important cold or disrupted cases of agents in the Bureau."

"That's going to be a crazy long list, how can you even discern from that which are important and which aren't. Surely, our unsub can't punish all of them. How would he even know how to target each of them?"

She was talking a mile a minute. It was enough to put anyone in near hysterics, thinking of all that piling evidence without being able to discern even a small chunk of it.

"Luckily, it's not just you and me working on this, it's the whole team and we'll figure it out once we're ready to gather again." Reid explained. "What we need is to know why Lovefield's case went cold. He's our first victim, so it's possible he was the stresser that set our unsub off. Our only hope to finding that is find his partner."

"Which I am no closer on, Sugar Plum." Garcia exclaimed, looking at her screens almost bitterly. "My long time friends seem to have turned on me."

Reid, however, had a lot more faith in her skills. "If anyone can find the truth, Garcia, it's definitely you." He closed the file as he stood again, getting ready to step out.

"Do you have any genius suggestions as to how I go about that, Dr. Reid?" Asked Garcia as he headed to the door.

He turned slowly, thinking a moment. "You built this system; no one knows it better... but I think your usual tactics just aren't going to work this time. As Gideon used to tell me... you try thinking outside the box."

It sounded logical enough. Reid turned and stepped out, the door closing softly behind him, leaving her alone. She turned back to her screens, the cursor flashing before her in a mocking manner.

"Alright, Cyberspace," she uttered, tapping your finger on the keyboard. "You can't hide your secrets forever, not if I have anything to do about it."

She set forth on another search, trying to find not only her information, but the reason it was hidden... because there had to be a reason. Nothing just vanished, no matter how badly someone wanted it to.

* * *

"So what happened?" Elizabeth wondered that evening as Rossi attested about his current case. They had both stripped from their confining work clothes, donning the hotel issued robes now. Relaxed and comfortable, the two lovers lay on the bed, simply enjoying each other's company.

"Let's just say Internal Affairs is typically uncooperative. The ones always poking into our business are a little defensive about us dipping into theirs." He heaved a sigh, laying back on his pillows. "Hotch and I suspect he doesn't know anything, and he's not quick to admit it. We're used to being in the dark case after case, their not. With little to go on, Hotch decided to call it a day. We'll regroup in the morning and figure out what to do next."

Elizabeth gave an uneasy tut as she shook her head. "I can't imagine a person who could do such horrific things to people, making them suffer like they've done some unspeakable crime. Is this really what you do every day?"

"Just about." Rossi replied. "I really shouldn't be telling an outsider this, especially someone who works in the state department..." he grinned as he leaned forward to brush her lips, "for all I know, you're a spy on a mission to find my deepest, darkest secrets."

They met in a kiss as she giggled, her hand resting affectionately on his terry cloth arm. He shivered in anticipation as she inched herself closer, feeling the warmth of her body just centimeters from his. It wasn't possible one woman could drive him this crazy, like he'd never been in love before. Yet with each passing minute of each passing night, Rossi found himself wanting to be near her more and more. When was the last time someone had gotten under his skin like that, if ever?

"Mmm," she grumbled as their lips parted begrudgingly. "When is that room service going to get here?"

"Hungry?" He asked.

Her eyes flashed tantalizingly, "Among other things."

As she giggled and bit her lip, a sudden idea settled in Rossi's mind. He smirked as he brushed back her wavy brown hair. "I think tomorrow night... we should go to my place."

"Your place?" She said with amazement. Moving from a hotel to his home was an indication he might not be considering this as some quick fling, and in her experience, that was so unprecedented for a man.

Smiling smugly, he said, "I thought I'd cook for you. Put on some soft music, light some candles... we'll have a romantic dinner followed by a very sensual evening, Lizzie, I guarantee it."

She laughed ecstatically, anticipating it already, "Oh... just when I think you can't get any sexier."

At that, Elizabeth brought him into another kiss, practically devouring him. She inched herself as close as possible, her hand clinging to him desperately. As he growled wantonly into their kiss, their passion ignited like a bonfire. She sat up just a bit to start untying her robe.

A knock on the door made them stop and Elizabeth sobbed, crestfallen. "It figures," Rossi said with a shake of his head. "Let me get that. You stay right there and wait to pick up where we left off."

The way that woman bit her lip made his mind turn into a complete blank. As Rossi pulled away, he managed to plant one more kiss on her. He stepped away to see her stretch out on the bed, folding her open robe closed for modesty purposed, ready for his taking the second he returned.

After such a rough day and another one ahead, it was nice to have a chance to clear his head. But he thought so much more of Lizzie than that. Maybe it was too soon to think about it, but just before he turned to the door, he realized what a wonderful world he'd become a part of.

"What is it?" She asked, curious.

"I was just thinking," he said with a shake of his head. "how nice it's been having such a vivacious, intelligent woman share a bed with me for the past several nights... I certainly wouldn't mind coming home to this for the foreseeable future."

Her smile faded for a moment, looking astounded, but it came back with a vengeance in the seconds that followed. Rossi gave her a seductive wave of his eyebrows as he went to answer the door. Elizabeth tried not to let her excitement get away from her, after all, they still barely knew each other... but it was hard to be rational when for the first time in her life, everything felt so incredibly right.

* * *

Reid wasn't sure if it was the walls were too close or if he did his tie too tight, but he felt very out of breath right now. The rest of the afternoon had been a blur to him, as if time itself had sped up just for his sake. He certainly would have found a way out of this had it been for anyone else in the world.

Emily suppressed a smirk as she looked him over out of the corner of her eye. He was fidgeting a lot more than usual tonight, and not just because he was in stuffed into a suit. Reaching over, her hand slipped into his. Her touch was almost sedative to him.

"Relax," Emily said softly with a squeeze. "You don't need to be so nervous, everything's going to be fine."

"I just wish I could have had more time to prepare for this." He answered with a shake of his head. "The first time I met the ambassador, you and I barely knew each other. I doubt she even remembers me."

"We'll, you're going to make a very good impression on her today, I know it." She answered. "You're a gentleman and you're honest and caring. It should be pretty obvious to her why I fell in love with you. And, whether she accepts this or not, I think she'll understand that."

Nervously, his gave a twitch of a smile, remaining silent. Before he could look away, she grabbed him with another squeeze of his hand. "You do look very handsome tonight."

His eyes were glowed passionately as he responded, "You look stunning."

Indeed, she did. In a long cream dress a generous neckline. It fit over her figure comfortably, accentuating her curves and over her hips. With her ebony hair brushing on her bare, ivory shoulders, she looked like a goddess made of marble.

She gave a chuckle. "Make sure you lock it in your perfect memory. I'm not going to look like this much longer."

He pulled her hand to his lips, kissing it lovingly. As he held it against his heart, he assured her, "You'll look beautiful no matter what, especially when you're showing with our child. I know you will."

With a smile, Emily couldn't resist rushing forward and bringing him into a kiss. Her hand brushed down his cheek lovingly. She felt so utterly close to him right now. It seemed they'd gotten through their rough patch, and while there were still a lot of hurdles before them, they felt nothing could come between them now.

The elevator opened at last and the two ended their kiss. They meet in a dazed smile, their eyes glowing with love for each other. The ambassador would have to be blind not to see how deeply they felt for each other, and if love held any importance with her, she could understand why they were breaking rules and regulations in order to be together.

Hand in hand, they stepped off the elevator into the beige and gold hall. Emily had gotten the room number from the front desk. She just hoped her mother hadn't made other plans, that would be disappointing to say the least.

"Here we go," Emily uttered, exchanging one more look with Reid. A silent way of warning him to brace himself. It would be alright, they would get through this. Together.

She released his hand and raised her hand to knock. Just before it made contact with the wood she stopped, listening carefully.

"What's wrong?" Reid wondered, nervous.

Hesitating a moment, she turned her ear and carefully pressed her ear to the wood. Reid waited as she listened, intrigued as her face spread into a smile.

"Oh my God," she whispered, grinning widely.

"What is it?" He pressed, stepping a bit closer to try and hear himself. From this distance, however, there was nothing but silence. "Is she not there?"

Emily at last answered. "No, she's there... and I don't think she's alone."

Reid stepped forward, pressing his ear as close as possible to listen. A faint mumbling could be heard, and if he were any judge, the people inside were involved in a friendly, yet serious conversation, with intermittent bursts of laughter.

His first suspicion was they were at the wrong room, but Emily hadn't doubt in her mind. She said in a delighted hiss, "She mentioned the other morning she'd spent the night with a man. I wonder if this is the same mystery man... she sounds pretty happy and that almost never happens."

Stepping back, Reid gave a shrug. "If she's with a date, it's probably best we do this another night."

"What are you, crazy? I want to get a look at this guy?" She grinned. "Maybe he'll want to join us. That would certainly take some pressure off us."

Reid had to agree, although he would have much rather left and put this off. In a few moments, he would have wished they had. Emily knocked hurriedly before standing back to wait.

"Are you sure about this?" Reid asked again, desperate to keep his voice from cracking. "Interrupting your mother during a date may not be the best way for us to gain her approval."

She was beyond rational about this, though. She was much too excited to get a glimpse in her mother's personal life, to see for once the woman could be human. And she was just about to say that, too, when the door suddenly opened. Emily felt the bottom fall out of her stomach, and the entire world came to a screeching halt.


	18. A Greater Purpose

The last time Reid had seen Emily like this had been in the hospital after he got his memory back. Watching her storm away from him as she fought back tears, unsure at the time what was upsetting her so. It was completely bizarre to see her emotions take complete control of her. In fact, it was almost frightening.

At first, she stood in silence. Practically catatonic. She was trying to make sense that who she was seeing wasn't some morning sickness induced hallucination... although, that would have been much easier to comprehend.

"Rossi?" Reid found his voice before she did, bringing light to the situation in an effort to help.

"Reid... Emily..." he muttered, never tearing his terror filled eyes from Emily. Oh, this was not the way he wanted her to find out. He hadn't even considered how he was going to explain this to her, but here, standing in a hotel room nearly naked; her mother behind him working frantically to fasten her robe again... that certainly never made the list.

The ambassador came forward once she was presentable. "Emily," she said, masking her indignity well. It was no wonder where Emily got her poker face from. "I surely wasn't expecting you this evening."

Finally, as Emily managed to unstick her throat, her lips pursed scathingly."Well, tonight's full of surprises, isn't it?"

There was no avoiding this now, and Rossi launched into an explanation. "I know this looks bad-"

She stormed in dangerously as she cut him off, her shock finally finding a true voice. "Looks? This looks like you're in bed with my mother, Dave!"

"I know, but there's a lot more to it than that." He urged her to see reason, to just give him the chance to explain.

"I don't believe this!" She cried. "What, I introduce you and you think because she's an attractive woman, you can just take her to bed!?"

"Emily!" Elizabeth exclaimed, stepping quickly to Rossi's side. He wasn't going to go through this alone. "This has nothing to do with you. David and I met before you introduced us-"

"Oh, God," She uttered in response. She closed her eyes in distress, as if the very thought was painful. "You were the guy in the shower!"

Reid never could keep silent when his curiosity got to him. "How is that possible?"

"We didn't exactly exchange information beyond first names, Reid." Rossi said rather bitterly. This was humiliating and Reid was an easy target to alleviate his embarrassment.

"David and I met at the hotel bar on Friday night." Elizabeth revealed. "We didn't even know who the other was until we encountered each other at the FBI the next afternoon."

Emily turned around for a moment, unable to look at them while she got her bearings. She wasn't sure what she found more disturbing. That they ended up in bed together when they barely knew each other, or it happened again once they did.

"And since then, there hasn't been a point that either of you came to your senses?" She demanded as she whipped back around. "You're not some stupid kids who are manipulated by their hormones. There are rules you have to follow!"

Rossi had an explanation prepared. That while there were conflicts here, the State Department and the FBI were two different institutions. It may be frowned upon, perhaps, but no rules were being broken here.

Before he could get a syllable out, however, the ambassador spoke up with just as much determination as her daughter. "You're one to lecture me about rules, young lady." Her tone had the hardened inflection of having reprimanded this very woman many times years ago. A habit she couldn't break, as no veteran mother could. "You certainly didn't let regulations stand in the way of your life. I have to say, I never expected your colleague to be the father of your child, but I'm honestly not surprised."

"Lizzie!" Rossi hissed, looking to her in fear.

It took a second for Elizabeth to realize what she'd done. Her eyes grew wide as she stood in frozen horror, unbelieving she'd done that.

Rossi turned to find Emily's stunned expression focused on her mother. In less than a minute, however, it shifted to outrage and her cold eyes moved to him with a deadly glare.

"You told her?" She whispered. Her brown eyes were swimming with tears now.

"Emily, I'm so sorry, it was an accident." He pleaded for her to understand, but he was in this too deep now to receive forgiveness. Now that the outside world had caught up with him, he was starting to realize how selfish he'd been.

Elizabeth stepped forward in an attempt to defend him. An honorable woman, not allowing him to be taken down with her. "It wasn't like you didn't have the opportunity to tell me yourself. You felt it was better to avoid the discomfort and simply keep your life secret. Isn't that right?"

Emily was not about to stand here and let her mother demean her. She wasn't the one standing in a bathrobe. With a shake of her head, she announced "Well, I learned from the best, didn't I?" At that, she turned and stepped out of the opened door, whisking past Reid without even a glance.

He turned back to find the couple giving him a very focused look, waiting for him to comment on this. Rossi's eyes were soft, knowing the young genius shared the same worry for Emily as he did. The ambassador, however, took a step forward and spoke to him directly for the first time.

"Can you bring her back here, please?" She asked, as if giving an order to one of her staff. "You understand, we need to discuss this.

Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat to keep his voice from cracking like a nervous teenager. "With all due respect, Ambassador, I think Emily needs some time to... process this. Talking about it now will just upset her more."

"Reid's right." Rossi agreed, stepping forward. It wasn't lost on the young man how his hand slipped into hers, squeezing it in the same comforting manner he often did with Emily. "She needs her space right now, a chance to let it sink in. Just give her a day or so."

Elizabeth wanted to argue. Were it anyone else, she would have. In her many years at the top of her field, she was used to getting her way. Rossi, however, need only a look to silence her protests. She swallowed her pride, and nodded to Reid to show she conceded.

He wished he had some reassuring words for her, but anything he could think of seemed either self-serving or unlikely. All he could do was give a half smile before slipping out the open door.

Rossi sunk on to the bed as Elizabeth walked over to close the door carefully. They were alone once again. Slowly, she turned around covering her mouth, taking stock of what they truly had done.

"I can't believe this." Elizabeth muttered as she shook her head. "How could I have done this to her?"

"You didn't do anything to her." Rossi answered in a feeble attempt to make her feel better. "We're both to blame here. We knew this might happen when she found out... we just never expected it would be so soon."

Elizabeth had to know he was right, but it didn't make her feel any better. Rossi shook off his shame and walked over to her.

"I care about Emily very much," Rossi said as he reached to take Elizabeth's hand again, bringing her gaze to his. "But I can't say I regret what we did. Not a second of it."

"That's what's making me feel so horrible." Elizabeth admitted with a sheepish grin. "I don't either."

Smirking with delight, Rossi reached forward to bring her into a kiss. What it lacked in fervor, it bloomed with tenderness and compassion. As pained as she was, Elizabeth felt secure with him. As if his kiss was enough proof that everything will be okay.

As they parted, they smiled for a brief moment. With worry in her voice, she asked, "What about Emily? How am I even going to talk to her about this."

"You let me handle her." He answered. "Reid will help her calm down and tomorrow... I'll talk it out with her. It's a shock, but she has to see reason."

"I hope so," Elizabeth replied somberly. "I've spent years wishing I could fix the strained relationship with my daughter. I can't blow another chance, David, I just can't."

He lifted her hand to rest against his heart, vowing solemnly, "I promise, Elizabeth, I will fix this and I will do whatever it takes to bring Emily back to you."

His vow flooded her heart with so much esteem, she urgently rushed forward to wrap him in her arms. Rossi held her close in return, breathing in the sweet scent of her perfume. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply.

"David," Elizabeth scolded playfully as he held her a little too tight.

Her reprimand only made him squeeze her tighter. "God, you smell good. What is that, flowers?"

"Cherry Blossom," she grinned as she pulled away to see his face. "I'm glad you like it."

"There are a lot of things I like about you, Lizzie," He grinned and leaned in to brush her lips. "And the list keeps growing."

She sighed as they kissed, clinging to him tightly as if in fear she might fall. There was no point in worrying about tomorrow when they still had tonight, and the morning felt very far indeed.

* * *

Reid drove while Emily's unfocused attention remained out the windshield the entire time. He could only imagine what was going on inside her mind. It was important he got her to talk about it, no matter how she was feeling.

The journey up the stairs was an exhausting climb for Emily. By the time they got to her floor, she was panting and struggling to keep up with Reid. He offered his hand to help her up the last few steps. She grasped it tightly to pull herself onto the landing, continuing to clutch him as she paused to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" Reid questioned with concerned.

Frankly, she felt light-headed and mildly jittery, but it was the least of her worries right now. "Am I alright?" She sorely muttered as she dropped his hand, heading into the empty hallway. She started digging through her purse for her house keys, desperate to get these heels off. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be, Spencer?"

It didn't take a genius mind to know that was a sarcastic remark. A typical coping technique for someone to use when feeling irritated or vulnerable. He kept silent as she unlocked the door, having an increased amount of difficulty. At last she managed it and forced her way in, leaving it open for Reid.

He carefully followed, closing it again softly. Emily let out a growl as she slipped her heels off, her hand rubbing into the arch of one for a moment.

"You know it's perfectly natural to be upset about this." He said, finally calling attention to the elephant in the room. "We build our parents up into these... perfect beings. Seeing them act like humans can be very... humbling."

She'd been ignoring him a moment as she checked in the refrigerator, but at his comment, she slammed it shut again. "You think this is because I caught my mother in some unflattering scene? Were we not in the same hotel room tonight? It's not about what she did, Spencer! It's who she was with!"

The truth of the matter sunk in for the first time that evening. She stood in the middle of her kitchen feeling very helpless. Indeed, she had no idea how to handle this. Her eyes landed on her wine rack on the counter, thinking longingly of a large drink.

Herbal tea was all she was allotted for the next eight months, though, and so quickly went to fetch the kettle from the stove. "Rossi slept with my mother." Emily announced. "I can't believe he did this to me."

"That's a little unfair, don't you think?" Reid said, trying to keep light of the situation. As she shot him a nasty glare of shock at his unfaithfulness, he immediately explained, "I just mean I don't think Rossi's intention was to offend you. You heard what they said, they hadn't even been probably introduced the first time it... happened."

"But it kept happening!" Emily cried as she slammed the faucet off, the kettle now full. "Both of them had to know the consequences and neither of them cared. They ignored what was important in pursuit of their own desires." As he opened his mouth, she waved off his coming response. "I know, I know, those who live in glass houses."

"Emily," Reid said soothingly, walking over to her as she lit the burner. "I think you're overreacting just a bit."

"I am not overreacting!" She shrieked, whipping around to face him. "You have to agree with me how abominating this is. David Rossi, one of the people I care most about in the world, who has been my confidant, whom I've trusted with some of darkest secrets is sleeping with my mother! Look at that objectively and tell me it's not absurd!"

The minutes ticked by, but Reid didn't answer. His mouth shut tighter than super glue and he tried to tear his eyes from her piercing gaze... but it was like a tractor beam. He couldn't pull away.

"You do agree, don't you?" She questioned dangerously. "That this is ridiculous and just plain wrong?"

He hesitated a moment, debating what exactly he should say. It might be what she wanted to hear, but he had to be honest with her.

"I don't know, Emily... I think it's kind of nice." He answered with a guilty shrug and half smile. It faded as the shame set in at the sight of the anger boiling on her face faster than the tea water.

"Excuse me?" She asked with a narrow of her eyes.

Reid had to be on alert to choose each word carefully. "Well, they're both adults, divorced, from what I can deduce, they've been alone for considerable amounts of time, and they probably have a lot in common considering they're so close in age."

"They're not that close." Emily grumbled.

"They're closer in age than we are." Reid indicated. "I'm not saying it's not a conflict of interest... but they're both capable adults, unattached... it's not surprising why they've found an interest in each other. I think you need to take that into consideration right now."

"Oh really!" He rarely saw her this flustered. The last time he had, she had just thrown a beer bottle at his head. "Tell me, how would you feel if you found out Rossi was sleeping with you mother?"

Obviously, she wasn't thinking clearly. He responded, "My mother can't give proper consent, so I'd be angry at Rossi for different reasons. As for your mother, she is of sound mind."

"At times like this, I'm not so sure about that!" She took a moment to catch her breath, feeling as if she was running a marathon. The effort of fighting was making her weary. It felt like her head was spinning.

"Are you alright?" Reid asked with concern; his hand rested on her shoulder, but she shoved it away.

"I'm fine," She snapped, boring into his gaze again. "I'm simply upset because it seems like everyone who's supposed to be there for me has suddenly turned against me."

"I'm not saying you don't have the right to be upset!" Reid cried. "All I'm saying is-"

"I know what you're saying!" She cried. "You're saying I should rise above this and just be happy for the two of them! Well, it's something I can't do! I expect this from her, she's always been a Freudian nightmare! But Rossi... he crossed a line."

Reid took a hard swallow before answering, "I'm not denying that, but-"

He was cut off abruptly as Emily held up one hand to silence him. The other covered her mouth and her eyes squeezed closed, desperate to get a grip on herself. Nausea had fallen over her like a shroud and if she did anything but focus on shoving it back down, she was going to vomit all over him. Well, maybe he deserved it.

"Emily?" Reid spoke softly as he stepped forward, his hand landing in her back in an effort to guide her.

Thankfully, she managed to fight off the urge. Gulping hard, she opened her eyes. She was so dizzy right now, she could hardly stand. Once again, she answered with "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." He argued. "You should eat something and get some rest."

"Spencer, please stop hovering! Believe it or not, you don't know everything and you don't know what I need right now!" She yelled, pulling away. She didn't want food and pampering. All she wanted was to be alone. In fact, she'd be very happy if he just went back to his apartment tonight.

Instead of telling him that, Emily pushed past him to get out of the kitchen, never looking back. Hopefully, he would take the hint and let her be for the night.

Reid didn't follow her; simply watched as she climbed the stairs, gripping the railing so tightly, her knuckles were white.

He wanted to ask her what she needed. He'd do whatever she asked to make her feel better, even if it was just a cup of tea. But it appeared he lost his voice. If being alone was her request, he'd grant it... for now.

* * *

The lock would have been easy to break, even if he didn't have a key. He kept the lights off, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. Some nosey neighbor across the way could look right in here and spoil his plans. Everything had gone so perfectly so far.

Tears were streaming down her round face, watching him pace back and forth before the bed. Weeks ago, he couldn't even dream of doing this. Now he was so accustomed to killing that the death of one useless whore affected him as much as a spider scrambling in the toilet.

Yet, the statement would be everything. He wasn't as clever as the FBI thought he was. He'd gotten lucky so far. It wouldn't be long before they got ahead of him. He wasn't niave. He'd never be able to finish his work before then, it was clear, but he could take care of the more important ones... the ones who truly deserved to pay.

At last, he climbed onto the bed, crawling to hover over the girl. She clamp down tightly on the gag in her mouth, moaning and whimpering against the fabric, desperate to be released.

"You probably thought your life was worthless." He said with a kind simper. "But you will serve a greater purpose than you could ever dream. Sometimes a person's death has more meaning than their life..." his hand brushed over her face, smeared from the sludge of the alley, "and you wish to serve a greater purpose, don't you?"

More tears flowed out as she shook her head. Her gaze pleaded with him not to do this, that she didn't want to die. The knife waved in front of her face and she flinched, letting out a muffled squeal.

"I'm sorry to say this will hurt. And it will take awhile." He insisted. "But when it's over, you'll be at peace, I promise."

He moved off the poor girl and she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for what was to come. He moved away from her to the window, looking down upon the empty street below. He needed to prepare himself, to get into the right state of mind, as he always did before a kill. With a deep breath and a clear head, he returned to the bed. The knife poised in his hand as he brought it down to her wrist. The room was instantly filled with her screams, dulled only to pathetic snivels until finally, she drifted into silence.

* * *

A few hours later, Reid woke Emily with a kiss on her temple. She was still in her cream dress and stockings, laying above the covers. She must have collapsed here after her exertion in the bathroom. There was no mistaking the retching sounds he heard from all the way downstairs. At least she seemed better now.

Emily awoke with a gasp, sitting up in alarm. She hadn't even remembered falling asleep. She was both startled and pleased to see Reid sitting on the edge of the bed, brushing back her mussed hair. His touch was so warm; she welcomed it now.

Groggy, she looked around and noticed it was dark outside the window. "What time is it?" She mumbled, finding his gaze.

"After nine." He softly said. "I brought you up some dinner. You may not want to, but you do need to eat something."

"I'm not hungry." She shook her head, looking to him apologetically. All she wanted to do was climb under these covers and pass out.

"I don't care if you're not hungry, you still need to eat." He ordered. "It's important."

"Spencer," She grumbled, inching away from his hand. "Please, stop. I appreciate what you're doing and why you're doing this, but it's enough. I can take care of myself. You can stop smothering me!"

At once she regretted her words, knowing what it would lead to. He would get angry, another argument would spark between them and they'd probably spend the night in separate apartments. She did not have the energy for a full blown fight right now.

But he didn't get angry. Instead of fury blaring in his eyes, they were filled with distress. Almost like he were about to be sick, too. "Emily... I think you need a little smothering right now."

Taken aback, she questioned, "What are you talking about?"

"I'll admit, I don't know much about pregnancy and morning sickness... but seeing you this ill all the time is disconcerting. You're constantly sick, you're exhausted, a typical daily tasks like climbing your stairs is almost too much for you to bear. I know it's typical for your body to endure some of this at the beginning of a pregnancy, but I don't think it should be this bad, do you?"

"I..." She uttered, thinking. She hadn't considered it until now, but he had a point. Morning sickness hadn't been this exhausting last time.

Wanting to avoid that awkward conversation for the time being, she answered. "I don't know."

"I'm worried about you, Emily." He finally admitted, and it felt good to get in the open. "I'm scared of what this pregnancy might be doing to you. If there's something wrong with the baby or maybe your body just has to work harder to keep it healthy... it's made me realize how much I don't want to lose this baby. What's more important is you. I can't bear the thought of losing you."

A guilt gripped her stomach as he hung his head. "You really are worried." She replied. Sitting up, she reached to press a kiss to his cheek, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Sweetheart, I'm sure everything's fine... it's probably just because I'm older. Or stressed. This case has been pretty taxing."

"I just hate seeing you in so much misery," He answered, glancing up. The first time since they stepped out of the elevator in the hotel did she look at him with love and affection. "I wish I could go through it for you... I don't mean to bother you so much."

"Oh, you're not. I'm just..." She shook her head shamefully, "mad and confused and disgusted... I have enough to deal with right now, and I feel like it just keeps piling. I took it out on you."

"I don't mind, I just want you to feel better." He replied with a crooked smile. "And I know you're upset about Rossi and your mother and believe me, I-"

"Don't!" She cried. "I don't want to talk about that anymore. I just want to forget about it for the rest of the night and go to bed."

"First, you need to eat." He insisted, indicating the tray he set on her nightstand. With tea and hot soup, steaming soup and a sandwich she couldn't help but notice looked delicious. Maybe she was feeling better. "And change into something more comfortable."

Emily agreed, pulling herself as close to him as possible. "I like the sound of that. I think I am a little hungry now."

He could have just let it go, but Reid would be remiss if he didn't admit how he felt. "I know I don't exactly agree with you on the subject, but... I do agree Rossi crossed a line. No matter how he felt, he shouldn't have gotten involved with your mother more than once without talking to you first. I'm sorry you had to find out in such an embarrassing way; you didn't deserved that. "

"Thank you," Emily answered. "I'm sorry you got involved in this. This is my problem... and I have to handle it alone."

At that, Reid smiled again. "You're not alone, though, you know. Not anymore."

She sighed at that, pulling him to her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I know," she said blissfully. "I know."

* * *

It was only a few hours later when Reid and Emily were sleeping soundly in bed. That part of the night were time seemed to stand still. Nothing existed but the two lovers wrapped in each other, lost in their own peaceful dreams. Nothing could be more perfect than just being together.

However, it ended much too quickly as Reid was jolted awake. His phone was buzzing on the table, ringing in the silent bedroom. He glanced over his shoulder, debating if it was really worth it to answer it. It wasn't the tone he used for the team, so whoever it was probably could wait until morning.

But Reid couldn't just ignore it. He wasn't wired that way, unfortunately. Emily was nestled against his chest, soothed to sleep by the beat of his heart. It was an incredible effort to wiggle out of her embrace without disturbing her. Once his hand could reach, he made a dash to grab the humming device, answering it on the last ring.

"Hello, this is Dr. Reid." He said as softly as possible while still being heard. He took a glance at his girl, grateful she hadn't awoken.

Emily uttered a soft moan as she slowly awoke, feeling him pull away from her fully. "Is something wrong," he said into the darkness. Silently, not even opening her eyes yet, she listened. "No, no, I'm not out of town, I'm just at my girlfriend's place tonight..." She heard him let out an annoyed grumble as he responded, "Yes. I have a girlfriend. Can you tell me what this is about, please?"

Blinking a few times, she opened her eyes. It took a moment for her to adjust in the darkness, but once they did, she saw Reid sitting on the edge of the bed, his cell phone pressed to his ear. She smiled as she rested against her pillow, taking in the sight of him. She loved how adorable he looked in his pajamas. Tonight's ensemble consisted of blue stripped bottoms and white t-shirt that was so old and ratty, holes had formed at the collar. He never threw anything away. She couldn't wait until he hung up and got back into this bed with her, unsure if she was so willing to go right back to sleep. After the next sentence, she knew that wouldn't happen.

"Oh my God..." Reid uttered. "Did you call an ambulance?" She waited in worry as she heard him exhale. "I see... and you already called the police?... No, no, it's good you called them. Um... give me about an hour, I'll be there...yeah... okay, thank you."

Slowly, he hung up and carefully set his phone aside. Reaching over, Emily patted his back, startling him slightly, "Everything okay?"

He cleared his throat, turning to look at her. "There's a prostitute in my apartment." He stated.

Her eyes bulged out as she asked lightly, "I see... is there... something you want to tell me?"

Not even a smile emerged. He responded in a solemn tone, his voice almost shaking, "She's been murdered. Someone broke into my apartment, strapped a prostitute to my bed, and... slit her wrists."

Shocked and disgusted, Emily sat up fully. "Oh my God!"

Reid stood off the bed as he ran his hands through his hair. "I know, that's exactly what I said."

"Who the hell would do something like that?" Emily asked, absolutely disgusted. She watched him with fear.

He looked at her as if she were being willfully ignorant. "You know who. He knew I wouldn't be home and used that as an opportunity."

He had to be right. There was no other explanation. They'd been through too much to believe in coincidences. To imagine if he weren't here, safe and sound with her... the very thought made her want to climb over and pull him into her arms.

Before she could put that into action he announced. "I need to get down there to see what we're dealing with."

"I'm going with you." Emily announced, tossing the blankets and sheets aside, her legs swinging over to climb out of bed.

"Emily," he said in a partial whine. "You need your rest. I can handle this."

"If you think I'll be able to sleep anymore tonight, you're crazy." She announced, heading over to her dresser. She might be wide awake, but in the middle of the night, her best effort was yoga pants and a t-shirt. "Just because you can handle it doesn't mean you can't use help."

"Em-" He tried to fight.

"Either I ride with you or I follow in my car. Which is it going to be, Dr. Reid?" She demanded with a pair of those dangerous eyes he knew better than to mess with.

Sometimes it still shocked him how lucky he was to have her. "Alright... I'll tell Hotch to meet us there and then I'll get dressed. We should leave in about fifteen minutes."

"Hotch?" She called as she slammed her middle drawer closed. Her cry stopped him at the door. "Whoa, why are you calling him?"

"I have to." Reid said as he turned around. "A woman was killed in my apartment. You and I know who did this, but the cops don't, and that makes me the most likely suspect. I certainly can't say I was there... and making up a story makes me look guilty. I have to tell the truth."

That sunk with a burning ache. He was right, he had to tell them where he was during the night... and that meant Emily and Reid had to come out to the team. They had no other choice.

"I just think it's best we tell Hotch alone first." Reid continued seriously. "I'm sorry, I never meant for it to happen this way."

Emily snickered as she pulled on a clean t-shirt, fitting over her figure nicely. She smoothed out the wrinkles as she said, "Telling our boss we're pregnant and dating in the middle of the night next to the body of a dead hooker... I'd love to know who would plan it this way."

Reid couldn't help but smile at her quip. She always had a way of making light of the toughest situations. He dialed his phone as he slipped out the door and Emily was left to her thoughts, trying to forget what might have happened... and to think, just hours before, she had wanted him to go back home. She would have sent him right into the arms of a killer.


End file.
